The Namikaze Legend
by Aerotyl
Summary: What if Sarutobi Hiruzen was the one who sealed the Kyuubi, not Minato? Namikaze Naruto makes his name a legend by the age of 12, who could possibly rival this prodigy? eventual Narusaku, Naruto Smart/Strong Minato and Kushina are alive, T for potty mouth and violence. AU
1. Chapter 1

**"Yondaime Hokage, I will never be sealed again, Mark my words, I'll kill you before you can even blink..."**

"Kushina, there is one way to see our son again...the_ Hakke Fuuin._ I'll seal our remaining chakra into the seal, and when the time comes, we can see him again."

"Minato..."

Meanwhile, Sarutobi has managed to pierce the barrier Minato set up. He shunshined to where Minato and Kushina were.

"Namikaze! Don't tell me...you're going to to the_ Hakke Fuuin_..."

"Its the only way Sarutobi" Minato looked to Naruto in a sorrowful gaze. Sarutobi followed his eyes to Naruto and realized his duty in the attack of the Kyuubi, and the life of the Namikazes.

"...No, I'll do it"

Minato looked at the Sandaime in disbelief.

"Its okay Minato, I've already lived past my prime years. I've seen what I've wanted to see. I've fought every battle I wanted to fight. Well, almost. There's one more...the Kyuubi"

"Sa-Sarutobi...Thank you"

"I'll still seal the Kyuubi into Naruto, but at least you will be there to protect him...I guess, this is goodbye.._.Hakke Fuuin_"

And with that, Sarutobi Hiruzen sealed the Kyuubi into the infant and passed away. Several Anbu were present to watch the final moments of the Sandaime Hokage. Hokage fell to one knee in chakra exhaustion and the Anbu spread around the area. Tonight was the night, a legend died, and new one took its place. The legend of Namikaze Naruto.

xxxxxxxx

"NA-RU-TO! WAKE UP OR I'LL COME UP THERE MYSELF AND KICK YOU OUT"

Blue eyes shot open and the blond boy shot out of bed.

"W-w-wait Kaa-san! I'm up, I'm up!"

Naruto flashed to the kitchen where Uzumaki Kushina resided. She turned around and almost spilt her coffee on Naruto.

"Dammit Naruto! Stop flashing everywhere! I'm going to wash away every single seal you and your father put in this blasted house!"

"Maa maa Kushina, Naruto and I find it convenient, thats all..." Minato scratched the back of his head and gave a lazy smile, no surprise that Naruto was doing the same thing next to him.

"MI-NA-TO! ARE YOU RAISING OUR SON TO BE A LAZY IDIOT LIKE YOU? I HAVE ENOUGH WITH ONE YELLOW FLASH, TWO IS PUSHING IT! IF OUR SON TURNS OUT AS LAZY AS YOU I'M GOING TO CASTRATE YOU!"

Kushina yanked open a drawer and pulled out a cleaver. Her eyes twinkled with evil intent as her hair sprang to life in 9 tails. She then gave a sickly sweet smile and asked,

"Mi-na-to, come here for a second, will you _honey_?"

"Na-Naruto...run"

"Y-You don't have to say it twice, Tou-san"

Minato and Naruto dashed out of the kitchen and ran for cover. Kushina's voice rang through the entire village of Konoha at 7:00 in the morning.

"NAMIKAZE ONE AND TWO, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASSES HERE THIS INSTANT"

Hatake Kakashi looked up from his orange book to hear the echo of Kushina's voice and flocks of birds flying from the trees.

"Thats Minato-sensei's family for you."

He rolled his eyes and headed for the hokage tower where he would usually find the two scared Namikazes.

xxxxxxx

"Anyways, Naruto, as I was saying, today you are enrolling in the academy."

"But_ Kaa-san_, I already saw what they do in class, its too easy!"

"Naruto, being the son of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero and the Yellow Flash isn't always your ticket out of things, besides, only academy graduates become Hokage."

Naruto pouted. His mom was right, but he couldn't stand all the fangirls. Its not like he could help it. Being the Hokage's honorable son was apparently a big deal to these girls (but he still couldn't get it). Thats right, The Second Namikaze Prodigy couldn't get why all the girls suddenly turned red and fainted around him. "Its just a sickness they are going through" he would always think. I guess you could be a genius in some aspects but a total brick head in others. Love would be one of the things Namikaze Naruto would be totally ignorant of.

"Fine Kaa-san, I'll go. Just don't blame me if its too easy..."

xxxxxxx

"Minna-san, we have a new student today, please settle down"

"_Ehhhh_ Iruka-sensei, Who's the new student?", some kid yelled.

"Namikaze Naruto"

A few gasps were heard and then a squeal, then two more, then all the girls in class were squealing.

"_Ahh_~its Naruto-sama! _Kyaa_~!"

Naruto had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Manners, Naruto. His parents said its all about showing manners.

**"Haha Kit, look at all the Vixen"**

"Too bad they're all after the name, not the person" Naruto thought "Now quiet Kurama, before i say something out loud to you and sound crazy"

**"Hehe, that was your fault for the record."**

"Sure"

Its been two years since Naruto had first made contact with the Kyuubi, four years old and he had already contacted the century old Bijuu. They became friends after a while, somehow. No one really knows except Naruto and Kyuubi. Naruto would have conversations with Kurama in his head sometimes but one time he responded to Kurama out loud at the dinner table and Minato and Kushina looked at Naruto in shock.

_The Namikaze's were sitting at the dinner table eating silently when suddenly, Naruto bursted out._

_"Shut it Kurama, I won't eat 'em, I hate peas..."_

_"Naruto?" Kushina and Minato looked at Naruto, mouths gaping open. "Who is Kurama?"_

_"Oh no Honey, Naruto has an imaginary friends, We raised our son to be insane! Minato what do we do?"_

_Unlike Kushina, Minato had somewhat of a clue who Kurama was. "Naruto is Kurama the..." and Minato made to ears with his hands and flopped them around on his head._

_"Uhh...Kyuubi? Y-Yeah"_

That was the last time Naruto responded to Kurama when people were around, that is until now. Naruto quickly bowed and took a seat in the back next to a kid with spiky black hair in a ponytail. The kid looked up to Naruto and said, "Nara Shikamaru, pleasure to meet you" Then he put his head down and fell asleep.

"Uh- yeah, Namikaze Naruto...p-pleasure to meet you too"

Naruto stole a couple glances at the sleeping boy. How could he pay attention if he was sleeping in class? But it didn't matter, the whole class was easy so he felt like he could understand why the boy slept through lectures. What a joke Naruto thought. They were talking about Konoha's history which Minato had already drilled into his head years before. Yeah, at age 4, Naruto had already memorized Konoha's history. When Iruka-sensei passed out a quiz, he and Shikamaru took the test and got 100 percent. Naruto then remembered the Nara clan being full of geniuses with IQs above 200. He and Shikamaru grinned at each other sharing a mutual understanding of how easy this material was. He could make friends.

Then, they had gone over Kunai and Shuriken throwing. All of the children couldn't throw properly, aside from Naruto that is, who was ambidextrous, and deadly accurate. Naruto hit every target spot on thus surprising everyone. Naruto only smirked and walked back to sit down. On the side, Naruto could spot an Uchiha, _Sasuge_? No, _Sasuhe_? No..what was his name again? He kind of slept through the roll call and couldn't quite put his finger on the name. Well either way, the uchiha was staring crossly at naruto with his cheek puffed out. The Uchiha managed to only get 4 kunai in the targets. It kinda put shame to the accuracy that the Uchiha were so famous for.

The last part was sparring. Each clan had a style, there just so happened to be a couple of future clan heirs in this particular class, all specialized in their own clan style. Too bad Naruto had researched these styles and found counters for all of them. Even those who made their own styles were immediately countered by Naruto. He wasn't called the prodigy of konoha for nothing. Naruto could analyze any fighting style and find its flaws in a matter of seconds. He was the second coming of the Yellow flash. (No surprise there). And of course, Naruto beat every single student in spars regardless of whether they used jutsu or not. If you could put Naruto on the ranks of ninja, he would be around High-Jonin in most aspects with Kage level chakra. His jutsu arsenal rivaled that of Copycat Kakashi with 1000 jutsu's copied. Iruka already knew this, considering he was actually Anbu undercover. The Anbu knew everything, well, almost everything. He didn't know that Naruto knew he was Anbu, and he didn't know Naruto could sense the other two Anbu hidden in the room. There was a lot to learn from the boy.

Class ended and Naruto was asked to stay after class.

"Naruto, I know you find this class really boring and i already know your skill level. Do you want to try to graduate this year? We can move you up to Grade 5, the last grade. Although a majority will of the students would be older than you, the skill level is at least a little higher. Besides you have to take the last year to take the Genin Test anyways."

"Really? Uh, Okay then, I'm cool with it. Just ask my dad for approval."

Naruto nodded and shunshined back home, leaving Iruka to clean up the classroom.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


	2. Chapter 2

"Tadaimasu"

"Okairinasai, Naruto! Dinner is ready, come eat a soon as you're ready!"

"Okay, Kaa-san!"

Naruto chucked off his shinobi sandals and walked to his room only to be yanked by the collar.

"Now where do you think you're going with those shoes chucked around?"

"T-tou-san...heh heh, I was gonna fix it!"

"Damn straight you were, now go fix them, we can talk about your first day at academy at the table"

Minato let go of Naruto's collar and watched his son rearrange his shoes. It was funny how similar Naruto looked like to his genin days. Naruto had a hoodie on like him, except it was orange. Minato frowned, apparently Naruto picked up on Kushina's knack for bright colors. Now Naruto was spouting non stop about being the orange flash or the orange hokage. As if. There's only room for one Flash in this world, and it was him. Minato chuckled a bit,_ Orange Hokage, huh_. Minato flashed a quick smile and walked to the Kitchen to greet Kushina.

"Naruto! Eat your_ damn_ peas before i shove them down your throat forcefully!"

Naruto involuntarily gulped, taking the peas that were stuffed into his mouth down his throat. Naruto then made a face and started clawing at his throat. He took a deep breath and stuck out his tongue.

"_Quick_! Give me ramen! Anything to wash away the taste of peas!"

"No, thats what you get for stuffing all your peas in your mouth and now swallowing. You could have choked!"

Kushina glared at Naruto. Minato passed a cup of juice under the table to Naruto who chugged the whole drink when he thought Kushina wasn't looking.

"I SAW THAT! YOU TOO MINATO! GET BACK HERE, YOU TWO!"

Minato and Naruto scampered off leaving Kushina in the dining room, standing up with one foot on a seat, ready to pounce, with three forks between her fingers like kunai, glaring at the door way. Meanwhile, Minato sat next to Naruto on the couch in the living room.

"So I heard from Iruka that you are going to move up to grade 5."

"Yup! Today was too easy, they couldn't even throw a kunai! It was ridiculous"

"That's great and all, but remember, nothing-"

"-replaces hard work. I know, I know. Its just that I already went through the 'hard work' with kunai and history and taijutsu. Genin is too easy! You know my skill! I'm like a jonin!"

"While you have a large sum of jutsu, most, if not all, are mid to high level chuunin. It's only the number that makes you High Jonin. Sure the number rivals Kakashi, but the level isn't there yet, and you don't have experience and I'm not prepared to send a 6 year old into A to B ranked missions, let alone my son. Genin first, Chuunin second, then we talk about Jonin. Not to mention, you don't even know my jutsu, we'll have Jiraiya train you"

"Cool! A _Sannin_ as a teacher!"

Naruto raced out of the living room to his room. Then a voice came from behind Minato.

"Don't you _dare_ send my son to that pervert to train"

"Ah Kushina, he isn't really a pervert, he's-"

"-A SUPER PERVERT!"

Just then, The white haired sage bursted through the door. Kushina whipped her head around to face Jiraiya then sent her fist into Jiraiya's face, launching him out the window next to the door. She huffed, placed her hands on her hips then turned around to face Minato.

"Did you hear him? The more reasons to NOT send our son with that thing."

Minato just looked at the broken window with a hole and sweat dropped.

_"Only my wife can send a Sannin through Konoha with a punch, wait scratch that, Tsunade too"_

"Did you say something, _honey_?"

"N-no, not at all, sweetie"

"Anyways, on a more serious note. I know Naruto is a genius at a lot of things, he isn't ready for the world yet. Don't you think genin is a bit too early? He's only six! At least Kakashi was a bit older"

"No, I think Naruto is ready. He's got the skill, he just needs the experience, besides, genin just does yard work and gardening, no big deal."

"Yeah, but..."

"Relax Kushina, It will be okay"

"Fine. Then who is his sensei going to be?"

"Hmm, I was thinking about..."

-

Naruto woke up early in the morning, it was going to be his first day at academy, as a grade 5 student. A better improvement to the grade 1. Seriously, what were his parents thinking? Anyways, his first step to Hokage, genin.

"It would suck if I was a genin forever."

Naruto frowned. A shiver was sent down his back as he imagined himself still a genin at age 15 . _Too old if you ask me_. Naruto jumped out of bed and dragged himself to the bathroom. (an:/hahahahaha, oh the irony)

-  
"Naruto, here is your breakfast, don't be late! Punctuality-"

"-is key. IF its so important, why is Kakashi always late? And by several hours on top of it?"

Kushina's face faltered for a second, "Don't follow Kakashi, he's another lazy perve..."

Somewhere in Konoha, a silver haired man sneezed.

"Get going, I don't want you to be late"

"Hai hai kaa-san, I'll see ya 'round"

Naruto grabbed a toast and shunshined out of the house.

-

"Class, We have a new student!"

Murmurs were heard around the class. Naruto shifted around where he stood, he looked up to see students older than him. He never really was one for attention but when its from people older than him, he suddenly becomes shy. When he was brought to a council meeting with Minato on Bring Your Child to work day, he was really shy and couldn't look at any of the adults in the eyes when they came to greet him.

"Uh- Namikaze Naruto, Nice to meet you -ttebayo". Naruto blurted.

_"'-ttebayo'? Namikaze? Yondaime!"_ The other students were whispering to each other. Dammit. He was jonin level, introductions should be a piece of cake, why was he so nervous?

"You can sit in the empty seat in the back, Naruto"

Iruka pointed out to a seat in the back corner, next to a girl with Pink hair. Naruto sat down and looked at the girl. She had short pink hair with a red ribbon tying her bangs back. Her emerald eyes were big. She was young, his age kind of young.

"Namikaze Naruto, Nice to meet you."

"H-haruno Sakura, N-nice to meet you too."

"Nee, Haruno-san, aren't you a bit young for this class?"

"U-um, I'm only here for the Strategy classes, I'm book-smart, but not athletic, I go back to grade 1 for Physical Education."

"Wah, awesome, Haruno-san!"

Naruto never heard of a ninja clan called Haruno, he presumed she came from a civilian family. He was least to say, impressed. While she said she wasn't physically ready to be genin, she was already taking strategy courses from grade 5. This was definitely a feat for a civilian family. Too bad he won't be on a team with her, a strategist like her or even maybe that Nara guy would have been really beneficial. Naruto shifted his attention back to Iruka and listened to the course.

Grade 5, though it was still easy in the strategy classes, was bit more challenging with sparring. Sure he could counter the style used, but he couldn't counter the power. The other students were just too big compared to him. While he could fling his hands up to block the attack perfectly, the attack would be too heavy and he would be knocked to the floor. 3'7'' 6 year olds were just not made to fight 4'10'' 11 year olds. Naruto got by with small scratches, mostly from being hit to the floor and rolling around to dodge. All Naruto thought was _Kaa-san is going to have a field day._

-

"DAMN STRAIGHT I'M GOT A FIELD DAY, LOOK AT ALL THESE SCRATCHES! MINATO GET HERE RIGHT NOW"

Minato flashed to the Kitchen where he found Naruto on a stool covered in loosely wrapped bandages. Frankly he looked like a horribly wrapped mummy thanks to Kushina's poor medic skills.

"I'll help. Now Naruto, care to explain what happened?" Minato responded, taking the bandages from Kushina's hand. Kushina huffed and turned away.

"Ah, the older kids were a bit too big and the floor was covered in twigs, I wasn't careful when i rolled, cut myself with twigs. At least sparring is a bit more challenging and fun."

"You gotta be more careful Naruto, I can't let you get hurt"

Minato unravelled the bandages only to find that most of the cuts were already healed. _The fox, huh._ Minato thought. he threw away the wasted bandages and turned to Naruto.

"Get going, you gotta train more now, I don't want you getting pushed around. Show them who's boss!"

"Osu!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air and ran out of the room.

"Don't give him any ideas, Minato. He's already really hard, I don't want him to push it."

"If he doesn't train, you will have to heal his scratches every day. I'll give him some pointers but he needs to be able to adapt to his disadvantages and turn them into his advantages. It will be fine, he'll be Genin before you know it. Also, I got Jiraiya to agree to training him when he's older"

"Urg, fine. Stupid pervert better not brush some of that perverse thoughts on Naruto, or I will personally deal with the stupid Sannin."

Minato gulped and hoped that the Sannin knew the consequences for his inevitable actions.

And thats a wrap. Haha, update got here a little faster than normal so don't expect two day updates :P Its going to take a while before the action really begins, we just gotta get Naruto at the level i want him at. BTW Naruto is a prodigy not a GOD, he will not go around being the rikudo sennin and don't think he's gonna get some massive harem. AIN'T HAPPENING dont get your hopes up chillin's. har har har, see ya soon! please review!

time skip will happen soon...

until next time...


	3. Chapter 3

an:/ Har Har har, I've been updating way to frequent than normal! Don't get use to it! I just didn't have much homework this week. With the quarter over and election day right after, I only had three days of school. Though next week I have a math test so not much update will occur next week. Now, I know I'm making Naruto a bit arrogant, but thats because he's 6! (or was) It will be something he learns to control throughout the story. He isn't that good yet either (he's just really smart right now with lots of training)! he has yet to learn rasengan (and the other forms of it), Senjutsu, Bijuu mode, and more! Anyways, for now, let's get this genin test over with and get to the action! ok, enough notes, Lets-a go!

-

(about 1 year time-skip. Naruto: 8 years old)

"GET THE HELL UP, NARUTO! DON'T MAKE ME GET UP THERE!"

Naruto's eyes flashed open, darting around the room. He looked at the alarm which read 7:00 am._ It's too early._ Naruto closed his eyes again only to be interrupted.

"NARUT-"

"I'M UP!"

Naruto rolled out of bed and scratched his back as he made his way to the bathroom.

"I swear, that kid never wakes up on time!"

Kushina flipped a couple pancakes on the pan. She looked back at Minato who was engrossed in a newspaper while sipping coffee. She stopped at the doorway to the dining room and spoke to Minato.

"Minato, today is the test, do you think he's ready? Who will be his teammates? Teacher? Oh there are so many things that could go wrong! What if bandits attack? What if-"

"Its fine, Kushina. There are no bandits on D-ranks, just grass and paint. He'll do fine, I got the perfect teacher for him too!"

While she was talking, Naruto skipped pass Kushina at the doorway into the kitchen. He skipped back out and ran to the living room. Kushina sighed and went back into the Kitchen to finish the pancakes. Kushina looked back to her pan only to see it empty, along with the other pancakes that were on a plate.

"NARUTO! GET BACK HERE"

-

Naruto rested his head on his arm was he looked out the window. Today was the day he had been waiting for, the day of the Genin Test. All the grade 5 students had graduated Academy, but the Genin test was held four months after. Today was the fated day, the day that determined if one could be a ninja or not.

He looked at the clock to see that he was 15 minutes early. The classroom was practically empty with the exception of a few Aburame and civilian family. Most of the ninja clans shunshined with their children to drop them off, and the Aburame, well, they were always nitpicky on punctuality._ Like my mom_. Naruto rolled his eyes and focused back on the clouds outside.

Several poofs were heard outside and Naruto snapped his head back at the clock, two more minutes till class starts, the clan members have arrived. The door opened and a mass of 11 year olds made it through the door followed by the towering Iruka-sensei. He had a stack of paper in one hand and a box held at the hip, full of hitai-ate, different colors too.

"Sit down, everybody! Class is starting! Anyways, as you all know, the reason you are here is to take the Genin Test. If you aren't, you are in the wrong room. Please leave immediately."

No one budged. People took quick glances at each other to find any unrecognizable faces. Seeing as nobody was moving, Iruka-sensei started again.

"Okay, now the test is composed of multiple parts, the Written, the Physical, and the Jutsu. First, the written part will be about strategy, history, geography, etc. Second, the physical will be shooting shuriken and kunai, and using other weapons. The last test is Jutsu, you will do a Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin. I wish the best of luck, we will now pass the written portion out"

Iruka-sensei and another sensei handed out small packets and pencils to each student. Naruto started immediately. The multiple choice was easy, clearly shown by how early many of the students completed the section. The essay, however, was a different story. _What is the will of the fire?_ While Minato had asked this question to Naruto on many different occasions, Naruto only had a basic idea of what it meant. Naruto looked around to see many confused faces, each accompanied with either finger tapping or head scratching.

What was will of the fire? It seemed a lot like motivation to Naruto. Minato said it was what caused him to be Hokage. Naruto narrowed his eyes, he should get this too since he also wanted to be Hokage. What drove him to set such a goal? Why did he want to be Hokage? Naruto scratched his chin. He thought hard. Was it for recognition? Sure maybe a part of it, but fame was only the cherry on top. Money? Naruto knows that the Hokage isn't paid any higher than S-ranked missions and what not so its not like you had to be Hokage to earn his kind of paycheck. Paperwork? Definitely not. That isn't even a question. Then he remembered being with his dad who was giving out missions. It was pretty fun too, determining what mission should the genin or chuunin take. He also remembered watching his dad save a kitten from a tree for a small girl. Was it care? Or maybe responsibility? Or maybe both. Naruto's face lit up and he began to scribble, which did not go unnoticed by Iruka-sensei who was looking with curiosity.

-

Naruto sat on the swing outside in the courtyard and slumped. Regardless of what they said about him being a genius, that test was mentally _exhausting_, who would give such a complicated essay question? He watched the rest of his former classmates file out to the courtyard, once again, followed by Iruka-sensei.

"Okay, everybody! Listen up! We will start the physical test now! At the table to our right, we will pick up some blunt kunai and shuriken, any of these weapons that are brought from home are prohibited. Other assorted weapons, however, are permitted to be brought from home. You will be graded on accuracy, speed and power. Each weapon ranked out of 10. We will start with kunai!"

Everyone went to the weapons table and picked out 10 kunai and shuriken. They went alphabetically, each student walking up to the line, throwing each kunai and shuriken at the targets with white circles on them. Iruka-sensei stood by, jotting notes down on his clipboard, then proceeding to shout out the scores. So far, the class average was around 8.0 with a few exceptions of 9.0 and 10.0.

"...Namikaze, Naruto"

Naruto walked up to the line with four kunai in each hand and 2 kunai next to him. He got into a stance and then looked at Iruka-sensei, who was still jotting down some last minute notes. Iruka-sensei lifted his head up and nodded._ That's the okay_. Naruto launched all 8 kunai at the same time at each target, then proceeded to whip out his remaining two and throw them aswell. All kunai hit each target cleanly in the middle, all lodged perfectly in the wood. Naruto let out a sigh he wasn't aware that he was holding and straightened himself out. He patted himself down from any dirt and proceeded to walk away (not without hearing a few fangirl squeals to which he blushed at from the attention).

"10/10...Next, Murbira Renosuke..."

Naruto sat down and watched Renosuke launch kunai. Mubira Renosuke was probably one of the worst genin candidates in the group. He was a pretty bad student in, well, everything. He had this loud obnoxious personality with no skill to back it up. He always wore a shit-eating grin and wore neon green clothes. Naruto thought the clothes were pretty cool (thanks for his love of bright colors), except they weren't meant for a ninja. They could be easily spotted from a mile away, two miles if the enemy ninja was good. He kinda felt bad that Renosuke was struggling, so he had attempted to give Renosuke a few tips on launching the kunai earlier this week. But, Renosuke's pride was too big and so he rudely rejected Naruto's help.

"Renosuke, what am I going to do with you? 3/10..."

"Heh, thats what you think Iruka-teme, I just wasn't feeling good today."

Iruka-sensei's eyes narrowed at the name but then brushed it aside and called the next name. The shuriken test felt like another Deja-vu, Naruto got 10/10 accompanied by squeals, and Renosuke got a 3/10 and called Iruka-sensei his nickname with the same excuse. For the specialized weapons, Naruto had picked out a ninjato similar to that of Hatake Kakashi. Surprisingly the ninjato was a gift from said Jonin for Naruto's 7th birthday. He even taught Naruto a few moves which Naruto proudly used during the test earning him a 9/10. Renosuke, on the other hand, decided to pick from the weapons at the table. Unfortunately, with his rather large ego, he picked a rather large weapon. He swung a battle axe around and slipped launching the axe near Iruka sensei's head and lodging it in the tree behind him. Iruka nearly blew the roof, lecturing Renosuke about the dangers of using a foreign weapon and ultimately he recieved a 1/10 (only for attempt).

"Hai, that concludes the physical test, lets move indoors for the Jutsus!"

-

Naruto sat down quietly and waited for his name to be called. His patient and quiet waiting was interrupted by another person who sat rather loudly next to him. He looked over his shoulder to see a girl with dark purple hair and green eyes.

"Can you believe this test? It's kinda hard dontcha think?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow before responding.  
"Sure is, the essay was really hard"

"Really? I thought that was pretty easy"

"What? How did you answer?"

"Easy, Fire has no will, fire is uncontrollable, and its also has no conscience. Thus there is no such thing as a will of fire"

Naruto kind of wanted to facepalm himself right there and then proceed to hit his head multiple times on the table. But of course he kept it all in.

"Uh, I don't think that was what it was asking..."

"Really? I asked my other friends and they answered pretty similarly too"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"My name is Rei, by the way. Waraikari Rei. We rarely talked during the year"

"Namikaze Naruto."

"Oh yeah, the Hokage's kid. You're pretty young aren't you."

Naruto nodded. Suddenly he heard his named called.

"Well, thats me. It was nice to meet you, Waraikari-san"

"Rei is fine."

"Oh okay. Jaa-nee Rei-san"

"Byeee!"

-

"Okay, Naruto, you know which jutsu's right?"

"Let's start off with Kawarimi."

Naruto kawarimi with the log next to him.

"Bunshin"  
Naruto then poofed out 3 Kage bunshin.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei, My chakra is too much for a simple bunshin so i used Kage bunshin"

"Thats fine, now do the Henge"

Iruka-sensei clearly didn't know Naruto that well, even with anbu reports. The mischievous glint in Naruto's eyes and the smirk that was dawned on his face clearly didn't spark any suspicion in the disguised anbu.

"Henge!"

_"Oiroke no jutsu~!"_

Iruka sensei's eyes bulged and he fell back from the fountain of blood spewing out of his nose. Iruka quickly recovered and put his hand over his nose to stop the bloody waterfall.

"W-wha- DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

Naruto started laughing. Well, he was Naruto before. Now he was his grown female counterpart, nude with the exception of fog around specific areas. Naruto released the henge and crouched on the floor grabbing his stomach.

"I never knew that Iruka-sensei was vulnerable to the Oiroke no jutsu!"

Iruka-sensei wiped away the remaining blood and tried to look a bit more dignified.

"F-fine, y-you pass."

"I'll get Renosuke!"

Naruto skipped to the door and shouted.

"Mubira Renosuke!"

He then quickly grabbed a hitai ate next to Iruka-sensei then flashed out the door.

-

Naruto ran as fast as he could, back home. He bursted through the door, chucked off his shoes and ran to the kitchen where he was greeted with a huge banner, balloons, and confetti. Minato and Kushina popped up and pulled party poppers and yelled "Congrats on passing!" Naruto grinned and went to hug his parents. Minato had taken a bit of time off being hokage to be home early for the surprise party. Apparently, they had also invited Jiraiya (much to Kushina's dislike) and Tsunade. When the two Sannin arrived, Tsunade brought bottles after bottles of sake only to be turned down because Naruto was a minor. Jiraiya tried to give Naruto his first icha icha but was only able to take out the book before being launched into space by Kushina and Tsunade's punch (fearsome combo). They ate cake and celebrated. Then Minato pulled out the report on the test he got from Iruka.

"Written-99/100, Essay-n/a, Kunai-10/10, Shuriken-10/10, Kawarimi-10/10, Bunshin-10/10, Henge-"

"Yeah Minato, what about Henge?"

Kushina was eager to hear what her son got on Henge but faltered when she saw Minato's face distort into fear. She felt she had a hunch of what was going on and quickly snatched the paper only to have her face distort into anger. Minato whispered.

"Naruto...you can start running now"

"NARUTOOOOO! YOU USED OIROKE NO JUTSU ON IRUKA?! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE SO I CAN BEAT IT! GET-OVER-HERE-RIGHT-NOW!"

Jiraiya the questioned, "Oiroke no jutsu?" clearly never hearing about Naruto's perverted exploits. Naruto made a wrong move by moving his attention from his mother to Jiraiya. Unfortunately, Naruto smirked then yelled, "Henge!" And appeared as his grown female counterpart. Jiraiya grew hearts in his eyes and some blood dripped from his nose. He gave two thumbs up and kept muttering how the child was a genius. Minato covered his nose (which did not go unnoticed by Kushina) and Kushina and Tsunade's mouth dropped and their fists clenched. Naruto caught his mother and the Sannin's reactions and quickly released. He had to get out and he had to get out fast. He quickly flashed outside of the house and began running. He turned to look back and saw his worst nightmare come true. Both his mother and the Sannin were running after him at top speeds with a dust cloud trailing behind them. They were starting to gain on him and Naruto saw his short life flashed before his eyes. Without any hesitation, Minato quickly flashed next to Naruto, grabbed him, then flashed back home. Naruto was safe for a few more minutes before the two women returned. Naruto earned two new bumps on his head which were swelling up.

Naruto then vowed to never use Oiroke no jutsu...at least in front of the ladies.

AN:/ Tis a wrap. His genin test is over. See! I kept Naruto's trickster/perverted side, which kinda makes this funny? right? no? okay then. The adventure will start soon, the secondary genin test starts next chapter! Who is naruto's sensei? Who are his teammates (I bet you can already guess, no its not sasuke or sakura silly XD)? What will he learn from this new test? Tune in to find out!


	4. Chapter 4

AN:/ LOL calm yourselves guys, Sasuke and Sakura will appear...later... it aint a narusaku for nothing XD. Naruto is gonna be a little bit of a jerk, but thats part of the story! As author I do what I want XD. Don't worry he will improve...Over time.  
Surprisingly, I have nothing to do, so this story is, you know, updating fast, (wah! I've been neglecting Roommates! JK I'm not, that one is taking a while, because the next chapter is a bit long) Anyways, its funny because every time I put these chapters on the story manager, (via copy-paste) all the scene splitters disappear, some punctuation disappear (is that suppose to happen?) and everything I italicized revert back to normal and the whole thing becomes bold. urg. stupid fanfic strikes again. Yo, keep 'em reviews comin'! Now, back to da story:

-

_beep beep beep_

Its been a long night for Naruto, evil ladies chasing him, eating a lot of cake, constantly followed by a super pervert (for "research"). Naruto slammed his hand down on the alarm clock that read 7:00. He barely opened his eyes and looked around. He yawned and stretched, sat up, stretched again, only to fall back onto his pillow. He was expecting a yell from his mother, but it wasn't there. _Oh that's right, she was on a mission. Ah, the life of a ninja_. Naruto proceeded to roll out of bed, hitting the floor.

"Naruto? Is that you?"

Minato opened the door to find Naruto sprawled out on the floor, face first.

"Mmph"

Naruto groaned and lifted his head. Minato helped him up.

"You're gonna meet your sensei today! Come on, get ready, I tried to cook but it didn't work, you're gonna have to eat some cereal. Take some nutrition bars too, you might get a little hungry on the way"

Naruto strolled off to the bathroom and got ready. Minato returned to the dining room to read his newspaper, listening to Naruto run around the house to get ready.

-

Naruto rested his head on the desk and looked around. He was 15 minutes early again. Genin tests were yesterday and Iruka-sensei told the students that they had to come in the day after to get into three-man cells to take the second test. Naruto looked around and saw that a majority of the civilian students were there. He brushed off the observation and looked back at the clouds through the academy window_ for the last time._

The poofs were heard again and this time Iruka-sensei opened the door first followed by the mass of newly promoted genin.

"Hai, everyone, please sit down. Today we'll divide you into groups and assign sensei's per."

Iruka then started to explain how the three-man cells were important and how they were vital for the mission to be completed for genin. He then congratulated everyone for their promotion and quickly read off each team.

"...Team 7- Mubira Renosuke, Waraikari Rei, and Naiku Jinto"

Iruka paused for a second and realized his mistake. Jinto, who tested before Naruto, had actually failed the test. Iruka had checked off the wrong box, Instead of Namikaze, he checked off Naiku. He coughed and then proceeded to correct his mistakes.

"Actually, there has been a mistake, Naiku Jinto had not passed the test. Namikaze Naruto will be in team 7."

Rei beamed and Renosuke looked at Naruto with a frown. Naruto gave an awkward smile and wave to his two new teammates before zoning out at the windows.

-

Rei, Renosuke, and Naruto were left in the classroom because their sensei was apparently running late. Naruto was reading a book, Rei was braiding her hair, and Renosuke, well, he was fiddling in his seat, shaking his legs, picking at his fingers, looking impatient as ever.

"ARG! When will that stupid sensei come! It's been, like, 45 minutes already!"

Naruto looked up at Renosuke with mild interest at Renosuke's distress and rants.

"Renosuke, I'm sure sensei is just a tad bit late, Iruka said to wait"

At that moment, the door slid open and the Jonin instructor entered. It was none other than Hatake Kakashi. His silver hair slung over his headband that covered one of his eyes, and his mask covering a majority of his face. He caught sight of Naruto and gave a quick nod before looking at the rest of his students. A bright green kid and a purple haired girl plus a little prodigy. His thoughts were interrupted by Renosuke's yell.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"Patience is virtue, Mubira-san. Kakashi-sensei has his reasons." Naruto said calmly without looking away from his book.  
"Who told you to talk, Namikaze!"

"I just made an observation that needed to be addressed, dead-last like you needs to be aware of it."

"Guys! Please, calm down, Kakashi-sensei is here, let's not waste any more time!"

Kakashi sweatdropped. It was just like his old team, Obito like Renosuke, Him like Naruto, and Rin like Rei. If the two teams are alike, they are going to have some major issues with teamwork. Kakashi sighed.

"Okay kids, meet me up at the top of the roof."

Kakashi shunshined and waited a bit. Naruto followed suit and shunshined himself (surprising Kakashi who didn't know genin could shunshin). Rei and Renosuke took the stairs up. When they were all together, Kakashi began.

"Okay, lets start with a little introduction, Your name, your likes and dislikes, your strong point, and you dream or goal. You first Purple"

"Waraikari Rei, I like cooking and healing, I dislike arguments" Her eyes glared at the two boys who quickly looked away from each other and humphed.  
"My strong point is my medic jutsus, and my goal is to become the best Medic nin, better than Senju Tsunade"

Just like Rin. Kakashi thought. Then he turned to Renosuke.

"Mubira Renosuke, Reno for short. I like eating and sleeping, I dislike arrogant jerks" Then he glared at Naruto who fervently returned the glare with equal intensity.

"My strongest point is weapons"

"Says the guy that wielded a battleaxe" Naruto scoffed.

"Shut up, asshole! My weapon skills beat yours by 10,000!"

"Oh, really-"

Kakashi coughed, bringing the boys attention back to him.

"Please continue your introduction, Reno"

"Anyways, My dream and goal is to be Hokage!"

"Nuh-uh! I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Reno glared at Naruto who had his arms crossed and was glaring back. The glaring competition continued until Kakashi coughed again. Kakashi looked at Naruto.

"Name is Namikaze Naruto. I love ramen and training, I dislike assholes. My strongest point is Jutsu, and _my_ goal is to be the_ best_ Hokage in the history of Konoha."

Naruto stuck his nose up in the air and looked away from Reno who was fuming and holding his fist up. Rei got up and sat between the two after whacking them both on the head to stop their antics. Naruto and Reno cradled their heads which were both sporting a large bump, Naruto had three now. Kakashi sweatdropped again. It was just like his old team, constant bickering between the guys and a neutral medic girl who acted as mediator.

"Tomorrow, we will hold the secondary test to being a genin, I suggest you not eat breakfast unless you want to puke. Meet up at Training grounds 7 at 8, Don't be late! Disperse!"

The whole team stood up and Naruto flashed away, Rei jumped from the roof to the next, and Reno tripped and face planted himself before getting up and jumping to the next roof. Kakashi sweatdropped one last time before he shunshined away. (an:/ hell, i made shunshin a verb lol)

-

(next day 8:00 am)

Naruto leaned against a tree and looked at his surroundings. He was the first at the training grounds. Didn't Sensei say not to be late? Yet not even Sensei was there! Naruto took this time to formulate a strategy based on his surroundings. He sent out a clone to put his seals everywhere and then dispelled the clone. Rei soon showed up energetically waving to Naruto who gave a slight nod of recognition. Reno showed up next challenging Naruto who apathetically flipped him off. This started another glaring contest where both parties grabbed the other at the collar and glared challengingly. Kakashi, who saw what just happened as he walked over, sweatdropped from the umpteenth time. Naruto was just like him, and Reno like Obito. He walked over to the group of genin and began to talk.

"Okay, today we will start the test. Its a basic bell test, I have two bells and you need to get one before 12. If you don't get a bell, you will be tied to a stump and I'll eat your lunch in front of you. And on top of it, if you don't get a bell, you will be sent back to the academy. Any questions?"

The group remained quiet, letting the information sink in. Kakashi motioned the group to the center of the training grounds and then yelled.

"Start!"

All of them flashed away to the trees for cover, well, actually all but Reno.

Naruto flashed to one of the trees and watched Reno fight kakashi.

"I'll fight you one on one! Naruto is too much of a coward to fight you alone, definitely not a trait for a Hokage!"

Naruto mentally face palmed himself. No possible genin could possibly fight one of the elite jounin of this village, let alone an Anbu captain. He had his homework done and found information about the silver haired man. He had his kage bunshin lay out traps and seals. _All I gotta do is lure him in now._ He thought. Reno was quickly dispatched by the jounin and now Kakashi was looking for is other genin. Kakashi quickly dodged a kunai that flew past his face. He had set off on of Naruto's traps. Naruto grinned and went for the attack.

_Douton- Asu Sekijun no jutsu_!

Kakashi leapt, barely dodging the spikes that sprouted from the ground. Then he felt his back getting hot.

_Katon- Goukakyuu no jutsu_!

Naruto grinned. He had Kakashi in the air who couldn't land. The fireball got closer until-_Poof!_ Kakashi had kawarimi as a log which was now scorched. Naruto frowned but quickly dodged a few shuriken coming his way. His eyes narrowed and then he backflipped to evade more projectiles. The projectiles shadow then extended chasing after Naruto. Shadow jutsu? How did Kakashi know a technique from the Nara clan? Then he realized. Genjutsu!

"Kai!"

Naruto barely dodged the punch that was coming to his face. He engaged into a taijutsu match with Kakashi. Naruto kept evading and countering to the best of his abilities. He was at a disadvantage in size. He knew that even with a block, Kakashi's strikes would still prevail. But while he was thinking, he couldn't react to the kick as fast and put up his hands. Kakashi kicked Naruto who was sent flying. Naruto stood back up and got into a stance.

_"Shit, I gotta get Rei and Reno"_

Kakashi stopped in front of Naruto who quickly flashed away. Naruto ran past the trees to find Rei who was now hiding behind a bush.

"Rei! You gotta help, we need to find Reno!"

Rei nodded and they went to look for Reno who was now head deep into the ground.

"Rei! Help! I'm stuck!"

Reno completely ignored Naruto who got pissed. Rei just shrugged saying how she didn't know any techniques that could get him out of the ground. Naruto walked over and placed two hands on the ground and said.

_Douton- Yoyu doshakuzure_

The ground became mud and Reno slipped out, his green suit now covered in brown. Reno was annoyed that Naruto knew a jutsu he didn't know.

"Who asked for your help shithead!"

"Do you want me to put you back into the ground? Because I can"

"Try me!"

"Fine! _Douton- Shinju Zanshu no_-"

"Enough guys! Its 11:30, we only got 30 minutes before the timer goes off!"

Rei whacked the two boys again and they got into a circle. Naruto started first.

"I've tried a jutsu and a taijutsu match with him, I can't land a hit! He even used genjutsu on me! I don't think we can do this alone"

"Ha! You got beaten by Kakashi!"

"Shut it, Reno, at least I wasn't found dug into the ground and needed saving"

"You-"

"Enough you two!"

"Fine, as I was saying, I might have figured out a plan to beat the Jonin. We need a distraction, a stealth, and a backup. Reno, you're loud, so you be distraction. Rei, your chakra control can get you to put up a camouflage technique to sneak up. If you can't get the bells, then I'll come in with this jutsu to knock him out."

"Hey! Who you callin' loud?"

"Why can't you just start off by knocking him out with your jutsu?"

"Because it takes time, and its still experimental"

"Wait, but aren't there only two bells?"

"I know, if we get the bells, I'll give them to you two. I'm only 8 while you two are 11, I can afford to be sent back to academy."

Reno started crying comical tears and grabbed Naruto's hands into his own.

"The ultimate sacrifice, you are so kind!"

Naruto flicked his hands away and punched Reno to the floor.

"Don't touch me, please"

-

Kakashi waited out in the open. He didn't see any of the genin until suddenly, Reno came out. Reno was covered in mud so Kakashi presumed he probably used some water to get out of the jutsu. Reno started to run at Kakashi.

"I thought you learned already, frontal assault won't work"

"That's what you think, baka kakashi!"

Kakashi dodged all of Reno's attacks. But suddenly felt a presence behind him, He turned around to find that Rei was about to reach for the bells. He kicked both genin away, but then heard Rei and Reno yell at the same time.

"Naruto, Now!"

Naruto ran out of the tree line along the river and yelled.

_Suiton- Nanatsu Suiko!_

Behind Naruto, seven foxes formed from the water in the river and started following suit. The foxes raced towards Kakashi who was surprised but impressed by Naruto's technique. Rei and Reno were thinking along the same lines. But just when all seven foxes were about to attack, four of them dispersed drenching Kakashi in water who then kawarimi away before the remaining three landed on his previous spot also splashing away.

"He wasn't kidding about experimental, huh"

"Shut it, Reno, I made that jutsu from scratch... Dammit, we were so close!"

"What do you mean? We've got time!"

Just then, the bell rung and Rei and Reno slumped their backs in disappointment. Kakashi appeared in front of them looking a bit more dry than before.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei, none of us got the bells. I guess we are all sent back, right?"

"Well, actually, You all pass"

"WHAT? But what about the bells? The lunches? The time?"

Reno started panicking who was being attempted to calm down by Rei. Naruto just flashed next to them, interested in why they passed.

"The test wasn't just to see if you could act like ninjas, but to see if you could act as a team. Remember, Those who break rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. If you can't protect your own teammates, they you can't protect anyone else. Remember your will of fire"

"What is that, anyways?"

"For another time. For now, you can go home, tomorrow meet here at 9 for your first mission."

All three genin left and Kakashi sighed. Their team, was so much alike to his old one, he feared that they will befall the same fate sooner or later.

-

an:/ dun dun dun, ominous ending vs happy funny ending. Yes, I made Naruto's team similar to that of Kakashi's. Hokage competition between Reno and Naruto. Don't worry, Sakura and Sasuke will come in later. Didja like my new jutsu I gave naruto? Har har har.  
Anyways: Jutsu translation:  
Douton- Asu Sekijun no jutsu- Earth style, earth stalagmite  
Katon- Goukakyuu no jutsu- (really? ya don't know this one?) Fire style- great fireball  
Douton- Yoyu doshakuzure- Earth style, melting mudslide  
Douton- Shinju Zanshu (same technique as kakashi's the dual decapitation tech.)  
Suiton- Nanatsu Suiko- seven water foxes

'tis a wrap, see ya!

****


	5. Chapter 5

an:/whoa guys, Sasuke and Sakura will be with Naruto. I just can't give you any info without spoiling the story! Let me do my thing! Don't make me spoil the story for ya! Now where was I? Oh yeah, I found so many grammatical errors and spelling, and things that don't make sense. Point it out if you see it! Bleh, I need to improve my writing skills, so I'm gonna try to write as perfectly as I can, if and of the "i"s aren't capitalized, tell me! If there is a sentence that looks like shit, tell me! If there is an inconsistency with the plot, tell me! Of all that is holy, if there is an error, please point it out! Also, I'm not a dubbed kinda person, so no "Believe it!" Puh-lease! its "Dattebayo!" You have know idea how much that bothers me. Anyways, on to the story -ttebayo!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (I gotta switch to this kinda scene splitter, the other one isn't showing up)

"Urg, Baka-Kakashi, are we gonna do more than these ridiculous d-ranks? How 'bout some with more action?"

"Shut up, Reno. As if a retard like you could handle anything above a d-rank."

"Urg, YOU shut up, dumbass."

"Says the deadlast to the top student."

"You-"

"Guys! Calm yourselves! We gotta listen to Kakashi-sensei for the mission details."

"Uh, as I was saying. Today's mission will be the classic d-rank, Mr. Hiyashi wants us to clean out the weeds in his field. We will take four hours then take a break for lunch. In the afternoon, we will start training."

"Urg! Him again? His weeds grow back every freaking week! Can't we do some douton jutsu and level that shit out?"

"He has some herbs that are important growing on that lot, we can't just level out his herbs."

"We can always remove them first then plant them again after leveling out the lot"

"Thank you, Naruto...wait, Naruto's agreeing with me? WHAT? Has the world ended? Is it an apocalypse?"

"Shut up, loser"

"That sounds like a good idea, Naruto"

"Hey! That was my idea, Baka-Kakashi!"

"Whatever, loser"

"SHUT UP, NARUTO!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Douton-Tairana Heijun no jutsu!_

The ground shook as Naruto and Kakashi placed their hands on the ground and called the jutsu. The ground leveled out and Reno toppled over.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Aw, wittle Reno-chan needs an apology? Sorry you didn't apply chakra to your feet like a normal person would've, loser."

"Shut up, Naru-shit!"

The boys kept bickering as Kakashi stood by Rei.

"You'll take care of, more like heal, your teammates right, Rei?"

"A-ah, maybe, if they don't kill each other in the process. I'm not that good yet."

Kakashi and Rei looked back at the two boys who were now at a full out spar with weapons and jutsu flying everywhere. The flat ground became a war zone.

"Uh, we might have to do the jutsu again, Kakashi-sensei"

"I think you're right, Rei..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hai, Hokage-sama, Our mission is done"

"Na, Hokage-sama, can't we do any missions with some actions? I don't know, maybe c-rank? Something awesome!"

"Shut up, Reno. Didn't Kakashi-sensei say we aren't ready? And don't talk to Hokage-sama like that" Rei reprimanded..

"Tsk, I'll be hokage soon, so I can do whatever I want"

"Uh, no. I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Reno and Naruto got into one of their arguments again as Minato, Kakashi, and Rei sweatdropped.

"Ok, here's the deal. I've got one c-rank for border patrol. If you can do this kind of mission easily, I'll get you another c-rank. Prepare yourself, It will be in one week."

"AW, YEAH! Thank you, Hokage-sama! You won't regret it! Naruto, your dad is the best!"

"You don't think I know that already?"

"Hey! No need to be mean, I was giving you a compliment"

"If thats what you call a compliment then you need to recheck the dictionary"

"Hey!-"

"Enough, boys! Kakashi-sensei and I will be at training grounds 7. If you're done with your little argument, you can come and join us."

"W-wait, Rei-chan! Ha, I bet I can beat you there, Naru-shit"

"You wanna bet?"

"You're on- hey, wait!"

Naruto had already flashed leaving Reno to trip on the floor again before jumping out of the window. Minato was still at the hokage's desk amused at the relationship between his son and his teammate, a bit surprised by his son's nickname but amused nonetheless.

"Don't let me down, Team 7."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on, Baka- Kakashi, we've been running for the past freaking hour! How many more laps do we have to do? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? QUIT READING YOUR FREAKING PORN!"

Kakashi looked up to see Reno fuming. Naruto ran a little farther and stopped for a break but kept his eyes on Reno and Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes then glinted with pure evil.

"Are you not_ running_, Reno-_chan_?_ Shouldn't your little legs be moving instead of standing there_?"

Reno visibly shivered and turned to run away, but it was too late. Kakashi jumped onto Reno who fell to the floor and stood on Reno's back. Kakashi pointed forward like a triumphant statue, shouting out nonsense.

"MUSH, MY LITTLE GENIN! MOVE ONWARDS! WE HAVE AN ADVENTURE TO TAKE PART OF!"

Naruto let out a "-eek" and started running when he saw Kakashi look at him dead in the eye with the same glint. But it was also too late. Kakashi had set out a kage bunshin which landed on Naruto with a yell of "DROP KICK! WHY AREN'T YOU MOVING EITHER, NARUTO!", successfully faceplanting the poor boy into the ground. If you thought Gai was crazy with training, wait till you see Kakashi. When Kakashi is interrupted from his book, he is freaking psychotic. Rei was on the sidelines watching the whole thing while continually running. _Why am I stuck on a team full of weirdos._

By the time training was over, the three little genin were panting, Naruto and Reno both sported red marks on their face from being faceplanted into the floor.

"Okay, my little genin, time to go eat for a celebration on acquiring our first c-rank. Anywhere in particular you would like to go to?"

Naruto mumbled something incoherent that everyone except Reno missed.

"What was that, Naru-shit? Wanna share it to the rest of us?"

Naruto mumbled something louder but still incoherent.

"_What_~?"

Reno cupped his ear and leaned into Naruto who was getting pissed off more by the second.

"RAMEN, YOU BLUNDERING SHITHEAD! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!"

"I don't see what's wrong with that suggestion, Ramen it is, I'll meet you little genin at Ichiraku's then? Jaa-nee"

Kakashi poofed away. Naruto, wanted to avoid Reno's glares, flashed away. Rei and Reno met Kakashi and Naruto outside of the ramen bar. When they all walked in, Naruto and Reno both reached the counter and shouted.

"10 orders of miso ramen, please!"

Naruto and Reno paused, looking at each other for a moment, then glared. They turned to the counter again and Naruto shouted a number only to have Reno say a larger number.

"11!"

"12!"

"13!"

"14!"

"15!"

"16!"

"ENOUGH, BOYS!"

Rei's scream silenced the boy's little competition as she glared down on them.

Teuchi came out with 4 bowls of ramen only to have two already inhaled by Naruto and Reno. They sent each other glares and called another bowl. Teuchi arrived with four more bowls, two for each boy which were immediately gone the moment they were set down. Reno glared at Naruto who exchanged the look with equal intensity.

_Oh, it's on._

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"30 bowls. Beat that, you little shit."

"Ha, 31 bowls"

"WHAT! You were so cheating!"

"Uzumaki were born to eat ramen, it's in my genes. You can't beat a natural."

"Natural, my ass."

"There's nothing natural about your alien ass."

"You-"

"See ya later, Kakashi-sensei"

"Bye, Baka- Kakashi. WAIT UP, NARU-SHIT!"

The boys left Kakashi at the bar who was looking at his wallet with tears in his eyes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Reno followed Naruto all the way up to the Hokage monument where Naruto sat down on the yondaime's head. Naruto took a chance to look into the sky and breathe in the sight of the village below.

"Isn't it an excellent view, Renosuke?"

"Wah- you noticed me?"

"It's hard not to."

Naruto didn't sound as vigor as he was earlier. Reno was a bit curious and stuck around.

"I guess that's what's expected of the prodigy of Konoha"

"Ha, hardly."

"What?"

"Everyone thinks I'm a prodigy."

"But you are! You're really smart and strong, smarter than me!"

"Thats not really hard to be."

"Hey, shut up, tryna help ya here"

"Ha, I haven't really done anything to prove I'm a prodigy."

"Really now? Care to explain?"

Now things were getting real interesting for Reno._ The Prodigy finally shows some other emotion other than contempt towards the almighty Renosuke_. Reno read as a headline.

"My dad, he made new jutsus and took out entire battalions in war. Kakashi also created jutsu and displayed his prowess on the battlefield. Uchiha Itachi's rise in the ranks, 'nough said. All these 'prodigies' were the real geniuses, their achievements show it. And what have I done? Graduated freaking Academy,. What kind of achievement is that?"

"A freaking awesome achievement, that's what. Come on. Don't sell yourself short. You freaking graduated 3-4 years younger than everyone else! And-and what about that Suiton-Nanatsu Suiko? That is a pretty awesome jutsu right there, still needs work though"

"I guess, but I haven't shown any prowess. I guess I was kind of glad you asked for a c-rank. The d-rank was just plain boring."

"I know, right? Now I can show my skills to Kakashi, and Rei-chan-"

"You like her, don't you."

"W-what? W-what are you talking about?"

"Save it, Reno. I can see right through you. You like Rei, right?"

"M-mm, I guess."

"What's stopping you?"

"..."

"?"

"You."

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? Can't you see her fawning over you? She's always like 'he is so adorable and cute!' or 'the way he said that was so cool!' or 'Naruto is the best!'. Are you a blockhead or something?"

Naruto blushed and looked away but looked back at Reno and said,

"I still think you should ask her."

"What? Are you crazy? With those killer punches, I'll be dead before I finish asking her out."  
Naruto chuckled before looking back to the starlit sky.

"You got plenty of years ahead of you to ask her out, take your time"

"I guess you're right. But the sooner the better, am I right?"

"Yeah."

It went silent before Reno snapped up.

"Well, thats the end of Reno's Psychiatrist session, you can pay 500 ryo now"

Naruto swiped Reno's legs and let Reno trip over and fall on the rock.

"Okay, okay. I was kidding."

They both paused before Naruto started laughing, Reno joining in. The two boys stayed up on the Hokage mountain for a little longer before they parted ways. Naruto looked back at Reno's back as Reno walked away. He felt as if he had finally made a friend that understood him. Not like any of those adults who gave him mixed looks. Fear and Respect. He couldn't make out which was worse, gaining respect because of your parents and not because you are you, or striking fear into strangers for no apparent reason. He mostly ignored it but finally, he found someone who knew him for being himself, someone who wasn't scared of him for no reason. Somehow, he felt really happy. But who was he kidding, why the hell did he care about loser? He flashed back home to rest. The entire week, he had a schedule of those blasted d-ranks and hellish training before his first c-rank.

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an:/ and cut! Hahaha, we got to see a bit of the soft side of Naruto who is actually in deep turmoil, there are no perfect people, just people who can act really well. Now he's friends with Reno! Tune in next week, for we will go over Team 7's first c-ranked mission! Sore dewa, Mata Ashita! (hahaha Road to Ninja, can't wait for it!)  
translations:  
Douton-Tairana Heijun no jutsu =earth style: flat leveling techniques  
lol the jutsu name sucks in translation, everything in japanese sounds cooler. (one of the reasons why I like subbed over dubbed...)


	6. Chapter 6

an:/Well now, I haven't updated in a while, now haven't I. Well, can't blame me because my previous updates were so fast, Minato would be jealous. Have I mentioned that I just love Minato and Kushina! Their life story is probably the saddest thing I've ever seen, cried every time I watched the episodes. Their ephemeral visit with Naruto that left a huge impact on the rest of the world. God I just wish they had a longer time together, maybe after the war? Har har har. Anyways... improvisation is probably a writer's best tool. or not. Depends who you are. I have not much to say. I might start doing little polls to see what you as a reader want to see. Meh...maybe. Just so you know, Reno's nickname for Naruto is "Naru-shit" because shit can be "Unko" so i was like "Naru-nko" geddit? Except I couldn't take out the "u" or the english won't make sense. Okay then, let's get on with the story  
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Naruto's eyes snapped open and he slammed his hand on his alarm clock just as it was about to ring. 7:00 am. Naruto's eyes started to close again but they snapped back open when he remembered it was his first c-rank mission today. Stupid border patrol. Well, not that he could complain. He rolled out, did his regular morning schedule, grabbed his bags and left for the kitchen.

"Tou-san, Kaa-san! I'm going to my first c-rank today!"

Naruto beamed with both hands on the strap of his bag. He looked like an excited preschooler on a field trip. But Kushina and Minato's mouth dropped when they saw the size of Naruto's bag.

"Naruto! What on earth do you have in there!"

"Ramen"

"What?"

"Ra-men"

"I know that but why?"

"I can't live without it"

"Now that I can't argue with, but really? It's only a week."

"It's fine Kushina, I got the trick. Come here, Naruto."

Naruto skipped over to his dad in curiousity. Minato pulled out a scroll, grabbed Naruto's bag and placed it on the scroll, then he sealed the bag into the scroll. Minato handed the scroll to Naruto and smiled.

"Just concentrate your chakra into the seal and it will come out of the scroll."

"Thanks, Tou-san!"

Naruto slipped the scroll into his back pouch and grabbed a quick toast while hugging his mom, then he darted off to the main gate.

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"Okay, here's the dealio, genin. It's a quick patrol around Hi no kuni's borders. We shouldn't run into that many problems, just the average bandit that gives us a little trouble. Nothing major."

"Alrighty-then! What are we waiting for Baka-Kakashi! Let's move on!"

"Quit your yapping, loser"

"What, Naru-shit?"

"I said, shut the f-"

"Boys!"

"This is going to be a long journey isn't it, Rei"

"You got it, Kakashi-sensei"

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After hours of bickering between the two boys and the sweatdropping from the rest of the team, team 7 finally reached the small town of Tenchi, the contact point.

"Finally, I thought my ears were going to fall off from listening to the loser talk!"

"Hey! You were talking too!"

"At least I don't bore people to death!"

"At least I'm not mean...to death"

"That doesn't even make any sense"

"You don't make sense!"

"Uh, yeah, I do. How else do you understand me"

"Because I'm fluent in your made up gibberish"

"Gibberish is a real language"

"It is?"

"You know, if you say Gibberish slow enough, it will sound like gullible?"

"Really? G-u-l-l-i- hey, why are you laughing?"

"I never knew you were so stupid"

"Hey-"

"ENOUGH!"

Naruto and Reno both hid behind Kakashi as Rei stalked them, cracking her knuckles.

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"We are here to relieve the other team of their duty."

"We will notify them straight away. Please stay at an inn for now"

"Okay, you three. You heard the Chuunin. Let's get a move on! To the inn!"

"Osu!"

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The next morning, Team 7 set out through the borders for patrol. Halfway through, one of the great legendary sannin, Jiraiya stopped by the contact village with urgent news from the Hokage.

"Are you sure they already left?"

"Yes, they left this morning"

"You know which direction?"

"Sir, I'm not sure-"

"Its_ imperative_ that I see them!"

"But sir, they are on patrol, there is no way to track them!"

"_Which direction_?"

"S-Southeast, 60 clicks away"

The sannin summoned a toad and hopped away. Shit, I have to see them now!

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"Baka Kakashi, why were you so reluctant to giving us a c-rank, WHEN ALL WE ARE DOING IS WALKING!"

_Whack!_

"Quit disrespecting Kakashi-sensei! Quit snickering like a little girl, Naruto!"

Naruto snapped to attention and then cowered away at Rei, who was baring her fist at him.

"Well, Reno, I don't know either, when I got the mission from Minato-sensei, I was expecting some bandits. This place is usually ridden with those things. Well-"

Kakashi's response was cut short when his attention was caught on something ahead. His eyes narrowed.

"Do you sense that, Kakashi-sensei? The chakra, S-rank"

Reno and Rei's eyes went wide when they heard Naruto, who went into a stance. Kakashi felt it too, a few kilometers away, a large chakra mass was coming in close, and by the looks of it, it was hostile. A few genin couldn't possibly go against these kind's of opponents. Even Kakashi would have a hard time, and that's not including the fact that he has to take care of three little kids.

"Naruto, Reno, Rei, leave, start heading back to the base, there's no time, you have to leave, now-"

"Going somewhere?"

Team 7's head snapped back to the front where they saw a man. His white hair was slicked back and he donned a dark brown cloak. Behind him was a red scythe with three blades and a chain that was attached at the bottom. His red eyes were full of malice and his pearly white teeth bared with a tongue stuck out.

"Well what do we have here? A few little kiddies? Ah, silver hair? Hatake, Kakashi? This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be..."

Team 7 was frozen in place. The S-ranked nin was now in front of him. The three genin were stuck in horror, frozen by the amount of Ki that was radiating off of the man.

"Team 7, stay back"

Kakashi put his hand up to block the genin as his other hand reached for a Kunai.

"Depriving me of my targets, are we? I can't allow you to do that, Hatake. Let's make this fun shall we?"

The man launched forward bringing out his red scythe that barely grazed Kakashi's head, cutting off a few hair. Kakashi blocked another blow with his kunai and backflipped away. But the man had already advanced, leaving no time for the silver haired jonin to break. Kakashi deflected a few more blows before he managed to launch the man's weapon into a tree, lodging it into the bark. He lifted his headband revealing his sharingan and spoke.

"Who are you?"

The man yanked a chain that pulled the scythe back to him. He brought up the blades and licked one of them, smirking.

"Hidan"

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The two ninja's were caught in a taijutsu fight, exchanging blows that were blocked and countered. Kakashi was having trouble keeping up with the reach of the scythe. If he was right, Hidan was a rogue that the bingo book had an order to flee on sight. This wasn't good. The ex Anbu captain racked his brains for more information on the rogue, something that wasn't obvious. His thoughts were interrupted by Hidan's scream. Hidan was screaming in joy as he dragged his scythe through the ground towards Kakashi.

"Jashin wants your blood, Hatake!"

_Katon- Houyoku no Kyokuu!_

Hidan was scorched but didn't seem to be the least bothered, only screaming in pleasure, escaping from the smoke with 3rd degree burns and his cloak burned away. Kakashi evaded another barrage of strikes before launching another jutsu.

_Raiton- Jigoku arashi no tori!_

The lighting projectile pierced through Hidan's chest but Hidan kept moving; advancing towards Kakashi.

_Jashin. Jashin_? Where had he heard of such name. Then it struck him. The cult of Jashin. It was eradicated during the third shinobi war. These people were insane, lusted after blood, a bunch of sadistic and masochistic freaks. He vaguely remembered fighting one with Minato. Minato kept yelling something about not getting any blood out on the field. Kakashi leapt away into the trees for cover. If what his memory is telling him is true, he needed to formulate a plan to defeat Hidan. A piercing yell rung through the forest and Kakashi went wide eyed. He had forgot the genin were still there.

_Reno!_

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Kakashi dashed to a clearing to see Reno on the floor with a huge gash along his face. Naruto was in front of him, ninjato on guard. Hidan was smirking at the two genin. He then started to laugh like a maniac. Kakashi saw the blood everywhere. Reno was bleeding profusely everywhere, scared out of his wits. Naruto had deflected most of the attack from Reno but apparently it wasn't good enough, the cut on Reno's face was enough proof. Hidan brought up a scythe and licked some of the blood off it. He then wiped the blood on the ground with his shoe into a circle and then stepped into it. Reno instinctively shivered, shaking wide-eyed at the rogue.

"Let the ceremony begin, my friends"

Hidan looked up to the sky in ecstasy as his skin turned black with white markings resembling a skeleton. He started laughing again and lazily brought his attention back at the blond haired genin who was glaring at him.

"Preparations complete."

Naruto screamed, charging at Hidan with his ninjato posed to strike. Kakashi screamed.

"NO, NARUTO!"

The yell made Naruto lose his focus but it didn't stop the strike in time. Hidan, with no effort shown to dodge the incoming blade, smiled viciously. The ninjato sliced one of Hidan's arms open. Naruto grinned but was cut short when he heard Reno scream in agony. His head whipped around to see Reno sporting the same wound as Hidan. Hidan cackled and moaned. Naruto's breath was cut short, he couldn't breathe. He had made the connection. Reno's arm was split open, the blood running down the limp arm, pouring onto the floor._ It was his fault_. Hidan kicked Naruto back who stumbled in front of Reno. Naruto's vision blurred as he focused his sight on the wound he had inflicted on Reno. It was for Hidan, not Reno. This wasn't suppose to happen. Reno was clutching over the wound, trying to hold in the pain. Naruto almost passed out as Reno let out another agonized scream. Hidan had taken the spike and stabbed himself in the leg.

"Yes, YES! JASHIN LOVES THIS! THE PAIN! IT FEELS GOOD~!"

Reno clutched his leg and tears were involuntarily leaking out of his eyes. Naruto was left on his knees, frozen in fear. He had never felt this before. This feeling of helplessness. He couldn't protect his friend. There was nothing he could do to stop it. Kakashi tried getting close but had to keep distance from the spike that was swung around. Reno curled himself into a ball, clutching his two wounds, wide-eyed, not blinking. He couldn't control his body. _Was this a c-rank?_ Rei couldn't move. She wanted to sprint after Naruto and Reno, heal their wounds, and run away. But her legs wouldn't respond, they were bolted into the ground. Rei brought her hands to her mouth and wracked a sob before collapsing. Kakashi continually engaged in a taijutsu battle, trying to disarm the rogue but was unsuccessful. Reno had lost feeling in his leg as Hidan continually stabbed his leg with the spike.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen! For the final act! The final blow!"

Hidan posed his spike at his heart. Kakashi's breath did a sharp intake, Naruto started heaving as he saw the the spike, blurred. Reno had been left of the ground in a bloody heap.

_Kagemane no jutsu!_

A chuunin was posed behind Hidan, crouched with his hands up. Next to him was Jiraiya, face formed in a cold frown.

"WHO DARES INTERRUPT THE CEREMONY FOR THE GOD, JASHIN!"

The chuunin stood up and walked backward, taking Hidan out of his circle.

_Kage nui no jutsu!_

The shadows latched on to Hidan, preventing him from entering his circle again. With a quick swipe, Jiraiya appeared next to Hidan and cleanly cut Hidan's head off with a kunai. The head rolled away. Jiraiya quickly sealed the head into a scroll and then sealed the body that was still moving around. Jiraiya looked at Naruto was was still in the same place as he was before. Jiraiya stepped forward and put his hands on Naruto's shoulders. Naruto remained unfazed and kept muttering._ Its my fault, Its my fault. Reno's arm, his arm-_

Naruto passed out not before he saw a few chuunin arrived to the scene.

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He had been hospitalized for a week. There had been no signs of improvement. They said it was a coma, the yamanaka said there was mental scarring and that he would have to go through mental rehabilitation after the coma was done. Kakashi was nowhere to be found. Rei was bedridden, in the middle of a mental breakdown. Naruto was no different. He locked himself in his room. Minato was in shock when he read the mission report and Kushina broke down crying.

_It was his fault_. He couldn't protect Reno. He wasn't good enough. If he can't protect Reno, how can he protect the village. How could he become_ Hokage_ if he couldn't even beat one rogue. Naruto was angry at himself. It was his fault that Reno's arm was cut open. If he had deflected the strike properly, Reno wouldn't have been cut. Here he thought that if he got a c-rank, he could show off to the world that he was a prodigy. No, the only thing he managed to show off was that he was a fool. He was scared like a baby and couldn't fight. All he did was inflict harm on his teammates. Naruto was so angry.

_I'm sorry, but he can't be a ninja anymore. His shinobi days...are over._

Tsunade gave the news to Team 7 in the hospital. She said that because of the muscles in the leg were so torn up, even with treatment, the leg would never heal the same. He wouldn't be able to walk properly for the rest of his life. His arm was no different. The tendons in the arm were messily severed thanks to the cut Naruto had delivered to Hidan. Now Reno was no longer in any physical shape to move properly. _For the rest of his fucking life_. It was his fault that now, Reno couldn't be hokage. Reno wouldn't be able compete with Naruto for the position of Hokage. He had taken a dream from someone that was_ friends_ with him.

Naruto went to the training fields where team 7 would normally be_ if the situation was normal, that is._ He looked at the tree stump where Reno had tied him up as a joke. When Reno could actually catch Naruto and tie him up. His memories were cut short when he heard a voice behind him.

"It wasn't your fault"

"..."

"That was Hidan's motive, you didn't know. You wouldn't be able to know until it's too late. That was the point of the jutsu."

"...I've failed"

"..."

"I've_ failed_ to protect him. I failed to be strong enough to protect my friends. I failed to-"

"No. You were a genin, there wasn't much you could do.-"

"I was suppose to be the next prodigy. But I'm really just a failure, genin or not."

"Prodigies aren't always prodigies from the very start. You mold them, you raise them. You nourish them with all you've got so they can call themselves prodigies. You're only 8. Most 8 year olds don't think like this."

"Well, I'm not your average 8 year old"

"I know. Which is why I'm gonna train you"

Naruto whipped his head around and was met with the Sannin. Jiraiya stood there, staring intently.

"I'll make you strong, I'll make you live up to your name of Konoha's prodigy. So you can protect your friends. How 'bout it?"

"I-"

"No, buts. Your hokage already approved. We're going on a trip. 4 years, whadda say?"

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"Hey...Reno"

"..."

"I read in a medical book that most coma patients can hear what's going outside. Are you listening, Reno?"

"..."

"I know, you probably hate me. I've failed to help you. Now you can't be a ninja anymore. I've taken your dream away."

"..."

"Hate me or not. I'm going to get stronger. I'll get the power, not just for me, but for the _bot_h of us. I'll get the dream for the both of us. Watch me, okay, Reno? Be awake, when I complete your dream..."

"..."

"I'm leaving on a trip for 4 years to get stronger. You'll probably wake up before then. I just want you to know, you were my first friend and I'm just_ so_ sorry, I've failed you..."

"..."

"...I guess this is goodbye..."

Naruto turned and left out of the window back to his home. He left before he could see a sole tear fall from Reno's eyes.

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"Yo, gaki! You ready?"

"Sure, old man"

"Who are you callin' old man? I'm the Great, the Gallant, the Legendard Sannin, Jiraiya-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, let's get a move on."

"Fine, gaki."

"My dad gave me some scrolls for the trip."

"Good, good. We have a lot to cover. Onwards, pupil!"

_I'll see ya 'round, Kaa-san, Tou-san, Kakashi, Rei...Reno._

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an:/you can start bawling your eyes now. Just kidding, it wasn't suppose to be sad. And you are probably like, "WHEN THE HELL IS NARUSAKU COMIN' IN?" well I'm all like, "patience, young grasshopper" so narusaku lovers, show some patience, the lovin will come. Now time for TIMESKIP! I'll see y'all in a while !  
jutsu translation ( i kinda forgot the literal, so ima give you what i remember i typed in...)  
Katon- Houyoku no Kyokuu! -Fire style, breathing phoenix wings (lol i love my creativity)  
Raiton- Jigoku arashi no tori! -Lighting style, hellstorm bird (i really should've picked hawk but im to lazy)  
Kagemane no jutsu!- shadow imitation technique (if you don't know this, i question your knowledge in naruto)  
Kage nui no jutsu! - shadow sewing technique (this too, man. This was literally used in the hidan fight in anime)

mata ashita -ttebayo!


	7. Chapter 7

an:/Have I told you guys, I love you? well now you know. Thanks guy for liking my story! So much motivation to write these chapters for you! At the moment, since I have no social life, let's just say I have a lot of time to spend on writing these stories. Sadly, this weekend, I'm not sure I can because I have a math test on Monday (curse high school). Anyways, thanks again for all the reviews and follows. I hope you continue following this story!

(TA TA TA TIMESKIP: Age 12 (4 year time skip))  
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"This mask is stuffy as hell"

"Deal with it, gaki"

"You can't talk, you're not even wearing one!"

"Didn't you say you looked cool? What are you, bipolar?"

"Shut it. That was when I didn't have to wear it for a straight 10 HOURS!"

"Well hold onto it a bit longer, 15 minutes till Konoha"

"Finally..."

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"Names, Identific- Jiraiya-sama!"

"Yeah, yeah, signing in. Get the paperwork done for me, wouldja, Kotetsu?"

"S-sir, of course"

"Cool. Me and my buddy of here are gonna go to the Hokage. See ya"

The two figures walked down the main road of konoha, receiving stares from the villagers, whispers about the sannin and the smaller kid next to him. The two ignored them and quickly shunshined to the Tower. They entered the Hokage's office and was greeted by Minato.

"Well hello, Minato"

"Sensei! Naruto!"

Naruto ripped off his mask and ran over to his dad, launching himself in the air and latching onto his dad in a bear hug.

"I missed you, Tou-san!"

"Me, too! Kaa-san, too"

Minato brought naruto at an arms length and looked up and down at his son.

"You've grown haven't you, Naruto!"

Naruto gave his signature grin. The three talked about what happened in Konoha in the past four years and politics.

"So Naruto, I'm interested in what you've done over this trip, from the reports, it seems you've done more than training..."

Jiraiya and Naruto scratched the back of their heads awkwardly.

"It says in some reports of some 'sightings of a yellow flash' in the civil wars of Kiri, 'Daimyo's relatives saved by a mysterious blond boy', '300 A to B class bounties collected by a blonde haired boy' along with more. You've been quite busy haven't you, Naruto?"

"You've seem to have done your homework well, Minato"

Minato turned to Jiraiya who had a straight face on.

"It's true. Naruto has done all these while on our way. He has improved drastically. You wouldn't believe the level he is at now. Last time we checked the bingo book, while the information doesn't link him directly to Konoha ninja, he has a 'proceed with extreme caution' order and is known for affiliation with Konoha. Talk about a feat at such a young age."

"You have any idea how much paperwork I was in charge of thanks to your participation in the Kiri wars? Treaties. And a crap ton of them."

"Sorry, Tou-san, I just couldn't leave them!"

"Well, whatever's done, it's done. What I want to know is, how much did you improve? Considering you're still a genin, you're up for personal promotion for Jounin, if you're ready that is."

"Of course, dattebayo!"

"Tomorrow, Training grounds 72, 7:00 sharp, don't be late"

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"MY LITTLE BABY~!"

"K-Kaa-san, y-you're choking me!"

Kushina let go of Naruto from her death grip and started to tear up.

"I just missed my little Naru so much. You've grown, too. Oh look at you"

"Thanks, Kaa-san"

"That reminds me! I have 4 years of birthday gifts to give you!"

"wha-"

"Come along~"

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"WAKE THE HELL UP, NARUTO! Someone whack this child with a pan, please!"

Naruto opened his eyes. He was in his room again, his mom was calling him again. After being on the road for so long, these small things tend to be the first to be missed. Naruto took a deep breath in and looked at the clock._ 6:45. Haa. it's too early, it's not even 7:00- HOLY CRAP, THE JONIN TEST! _

"WAKE UP, YOU LITTLE TWERP!"

"I'm up!"

Naruto ran to the bathroom and started getting ready at lightning speed. He darted to the kitchen, grabbed the toast Kushina was about to bite into, then flashed away.

"GET BACK HERE, NARUTO!"

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"I see you've made it, Naruto"

"Thanks for waking me up, Tou-san"

Naruto glared at the blonde Hokage who returned a smile.

"Are you ready, Naruto?"

"You bet!"

At that moment, a silver haired jounin walked up to the two blondes.

"Oh? Naruto? Is that really you?"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stared wide eyed at Naruto. He really grew. The young boy now had hair identical to Minato, same childish baby blue eyes. The boy had black anbu pants and wore a grey hoodie with fishnet underneath. There was a ninjato strapped to Naruto's back with the sword holder forming an x on his chest. Naruto smiled at Kakashi.

"You know why Kakashi's here, right, Naruto? He's gonna be your test proctor"

"EH, WHAT!"

"That's right, Naruto. I'll be testing you for your jonin rank."

Four more people entered the clearing. Three jounins and a medic. A few of the top jounins were gonna watch Naruto. Asuma, Kurenai, and Anko lined up next to a girl. She had purple hair and- Rei!

"Rei? Is that you?"

The girl looked up at Naruto and was surprised. She then smiled and ran up to Naruto hugging him.

"Oh my Kami. You're back!"

Minato coughed, interrupting the reunion and got down to business.

"Okay, kids. I brought three other jounin here for confirmation. We will have Kakashi as test proctor. We are going to split this up into the test of the three main categories Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and from what I heard from Jiraiya, we'll have to test Fuuinjutsu as well, so make that four."

"Seriously? Naruto? Fuuinjutsu?"

"Correct, Kakashi"

"You're making my job real hard, Naruto. I can't really compete with that..."

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei, it's just a jounin test?"

"You make it sound like it's easy, Naruto"

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_Kaaton-Aki Kitsune odori no Reimei!_

Naruto breathed out fire which took form of a large fox. The fox began to jump around, leaving the sound of bells at each leap. On the 15th jump, right in front of Kakashi, the fox dissipated.

"Naruto, that was anticlimactic. And here I thought the fox was gonna destroy me-"

The ground shook, interrupting Kakashi's taunts. In a split second, Kakashi jumped back to reveal 15 columns of fire shooting out of the ground, one of which was where Kakashi stood before. The columns surrounded Kakashi as he tried to find his way out.

_Fuuton- Bofu shinden shugo!_

Wind blew towards the fire columns and Kakashi quickly kawarimi before the columns blew up and decimated the field. As Kakashi touched the floor, another call of jutsu was heard.

_Fuuton-Rasengan!_

Everyone went wide eyed, including Minato. Did Naruto just add a element to Minato's infamous rasengan? The very goal Minato had been working on_ for years_?

Kakashi was quickly launched away as the wind rasengan was driven into the ground, releasing a powerful shock wave. Kakashi was being cornered by the 12 year old which was no easy feat. Kakashi took off his headband and revealed his sharingan. The boy yelled again.

_Raiton- Kaminari Suzume!_

_Douton- Doryuuheki!_

Kakashi slammed his hands onto the ground bringing up a huge wall to protect himself from the flying lighting projectiles. Then he heard a whisper next to him.

_Hiraishin no jutsu_

Kakashi went wide eyed as Naruto appeared next to him ready to strike him with a normal rasengan.

_Raikiri!_

Kakashi countered the rasengan with his raikiri and the two ninjas were blown away from the blast. Naruto hit a rock and was knocked out. Kakashi landed on his feet but quickly fell to his knees. Panting heavily, he looked at his hands and saw his sleeve and glove shredded up. Rei quickly went to heal Kakashi by Minato's request. The jounin and hokage met back at the center of the field. Naruto barely woke up, now being healed by Rei. Asuma broke the silence.

"Well that was one heck of a fight. How are we going to continue if the boy's blown to pieces and the proctor to chunks?"

" Kakashi is out for now. Ninjutsu is done. We'll give continue the test. The next test is Genjutsu. Kurenai!"

"Hai, Hokage-sama"

Naruto lifted himself off the ground and stood in front of Kurenai, the rest of the group standing next to him.

"Okay, Naruto-kun, I'll start off with genjutsu starting with d-rank and progress to a-rank"

There was a silence as Kurenai went through seals, putting Naruto under genjutsu only to have them break right after. As the jutsu progressed to b-rank, Naruto started to take his time, but still delivered the same results. On the last a-rank Kurenai casted, Naruto dispelled the genjutsu but fell to his knees. Prodigy or not, Naruto was never good at Genjutsu, he was just lucky this time.

"Very good, Naruto-kun. Now we need you to display some of your genjutsu..."

"Uh, like which ones?"

"I guess, for time restraints why don't you show your most powerful one up to date"

"I'm not really a genjutsu kinda guy, the highest I've got is b-rank or a low a-rank."

"Its fine really, see Asuma over there can only do high c-rank"

"hey!"

"Uh-okay then, here I go"

Naruto made handseals and then stopped. Kurenai was confused.

"Was something suppose to happen?"

"Uh, I think so..."

At that moment, Asuma let out a blood curdling scream as something started to morph into something. He got onto all fours and growled. Asuma had taken form of a gigantic fox. He roared at Kurenai. She looked around to see Naruto, Minato, and the other jounins were screaming in pain while morphing...Kurenai started to tremble.

"N-Naruto-kun, is this suppose to happen?"

Something caught the corner of her eye and saw masses of foxes exit the forest and into the clearing, all with glowing red eyes, coming towards her, baring their fangs.

_Jigoku no akumu: Kitsune-ou no Koushin_

And with that she was snapped out of the genjutsu, Naruto by her side, pumping in chakra.

"Are you okay, Kurenai? I thought you would be able to get out of that one..."

"W-what was that? I thought you failed the technique and then suddenly everything went haywire. It was too real."

"I guess that ends the genjutsu. Asuma, I think you should do the taijutsu, incorporate some weapons, if you want."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Well, you heard your old man, Let go"

Naruto was barely able to get up before Asuma charged in with two knuckle blades.

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Naruto was on his back, huffing as Asuma stood over him with his blades pointed at Naruto.

"And test is over. I'm impressed, Naruto. You managed to stay fighting with taijutsu for the past hour. Most of your mistakes were that of an amateur, fixed by missions. Your genjutsu is pretty good. Your ninjutsu is extraordinary. now Fuuinjutsu."

Minato pulled out sealing paper and chakra ink.

"Make something, Naruto."

Naruto grabbed the paper and ink. He sat down cross legged on the floor as he pricked his hand with a kunai and let the blood drip into the ink bottle. At this point, all the jounins were watching in curiosity. Only Minato knew fuuinjutsu as the fuuinjutsu master of Konoha. Naruto proceeded to lace the brush with chakra. He put the brush in the ink and started making byzantine designs with extreme delicacy. When Naruto was done, He placed the brush down, blew a little on the paper, then held it out to Minato. Minato looked at the paper, the rest of the jounins peaked over his shoulder, then Minato lit the seal on fire.

"Minato-sensei? What was that for?"

Kakashi was intrigued. Did Naruto fail?

"Naruto, don't write that seal again for anyone, you hear?"

At this point the jounins were really interested. What did the seal do that made it so secretive?

"Hokage-sama, what was the seal for?"

"It's a seal, a seal that can reveal anything in a person's mind, regardless of barriers or protections, and then it erases the victim's memory after the information is extracted."

"What so bad about that, Hokage-sama? Isn't that good? Shouldn't we make more of these for the Interrogations unit?"

"No. It cuts the user's life short. It would do more harm than good. Regardless, the seal is s-ranked, Naruto you pass this section. I hereby state you as jounin rank."

Kurenai gasped a bit as Minato took out a scroll and summoned a flak jacket. He handed the jacket to Naruto who took it and put it on. Naruto beamed as he looked at the other now fellow jounin and hokage. Kakashi, now healed better, went up to congratulate Naruto. Asuma and Kurenai did the same and left. Minato flashed away, leaving Kakashi, Naruto and Rei.

"So how's Reno?"

Rei's face was brightened.

"I'll take you to him! He'll be delighted to see you!"

Rei grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him off back to the village. Kakashi sighed and followed his two students.

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Naruto started to feel hesitant as he reached the door of Mubira Renosuke. His heart panged at the thought of the name. The whole memory of seeing his friend during the fight of Hidan replayed itself involuntarily. Naruto mentally winced, which did not go unnoticed by Kakashi.

"You okay, Naruto?"

"Y-yeah, Kakashi-sensei. I'm just a bit worried Reno will be disappointed in me if he saw me."

_Does he still hate me?_

"He's fine, Naruto. He missed you."

Naruto gulped as Rei popped her head out the door.

"He's ready for visitors!"

Naruto and Kakashi made it through the apartment and entered the living room. Naruto saw a 16 year old teen in a wheelchair, still sporting some neon green, but toned down in his civilian clothes. The teen gave a familiar shiteating grin as he saw Naruto.

"Naru-shit! It's been a while, hasn't it"

Naruto almost started crying as he launched himself at Reno and gave him a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Reno! I'm so sorry!"

"What are you sorry for?"

Naruto was hugging his now, by the looks of it, older brother figure. Reno patted Naruto on the back and noticed Naruto's flak jacket.

"Oh? Naruto, have you been promoted recently?"

Rei clapped her hands in excitement and eagerly responded.

"Naruto's been promoted to jounin today! Isn't that just great, Reno-kun?"

"Oh, really! So fast! As expected of the Prodigy of Konoha!"

Reno fist pumped the air in a triumphant pose before returning his focus on Naruto who was laughing meekly.

"That's good, Naruto. I don't want my mini me to suck. You will become Hokage. For me, _for the both of us_."

Reno grinned at Naruto who went wide eyed and blushed. Reno then changed to evil and started laughing like a maniac.

"Then I'll become the advisor and bend you to my will! Then I will be the real Hokage in the shadows! The great, awesome, Mubira Renosuke!"

Naruto whacked Reno across the head, who was now cradling his head. Reno then started to challenge Naruto who bought the bait and started challenging him too. This got them into another bickering argument changing from being hokage to who could eat the most ramen. Kakashi and Rei sweatdropped. Team 7 was finally whole again.

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Next morning, Naruto arrived at the Hokage's office for a jounin meeting.

"Well hello, I have gathered all of you here to discuss a very important issue."

The whole room tensed. Then a Jounin in the back started to back away.

"N-no, don't tell me!"

"Correct! Genin teams!"

Jounin started to panic and the office became chaos, each jounin trying to make it out of the office. Minato quickly called Anbu to block off all exits as he grinned wickedly.

"There's no escape from your responsibility,_ Jounin"_

By this, Minato was clearly referring to the jounin handbook (the book no one read) which stated that it was within the responsibility of jounin to become instructor on the biddings of the Hokage.  
Minato was one of the fairer hokages and did the selection by random.

Acquiescently, the jounin lined up and Minato pulled out a box. The jounin all selected a paper but kept it folded. When all of the jounins had a paper, including Naruto, Minato told them to look. Naruto opened his to find a black dot on his. Kakashi, next to him, laughed out loud.

"Hey, look! The Rookie got one!"

Everyone laughed as Naruto punched Kakashi. Asuma, Kurenai, Naruto, and this other guy named Gai were selected to be the genin teachers. The rest of the Jounin were dismissed as they laughed at their unfortunate comrades.

"I'll start reading of the teams for each of you..."

"Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji. Kurenai, Hinata, Shino, Kiba. Gai, Neji, Tenten, Lee. Naruto, Konohamaru, Sasuke, Sakura. Pick up your teams tomorrow and start your test. By the way, Naruto, I advise you to wear a mask, your team may not take it lightly that they are taught by someone the same age..."

Naruto scoffed and continued to analyze his group. Konohamaru. The Great Third's grandson. It was said that he was really bad at everything in academy. But Naruto didn't judge. Sasuke. The said Uchiha prodigy. Ha, what a joke. Prodigy? That's because the stupid Uchiha trained their children into a spartan life. Itachi is a better prodigy. The true prodigy. He remembered Sasuke in academy, his first day. The stupid arrogant jerk. Sakura. _Sakura._ Where had he heard this name before? Guessing since it wasn't part of the clans, she was from a civilian family. Ah! The girl from strategy class! The pink haired girl! Excellent, an extremely intelligent person on his team like he wanted. Last thing he wanted was another Reno to deal with. He chuckled a bit at the memories. It still hurt a bit, but he was healing.

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"WAKE THE HELL UP BEFORE I DRAG YOU BY THE TOENAIL AND DROP YOU INTO A POOL OF PIRANHAS! NARU-"

"I'M UP!"

Naruto shot out of the bed and looked at the clock. 8:00

"SHIT, I'M SO LATE"

Naruto quickly got ready. Instead of his usual outfit, he went for the traditional jounin uniform. Navy blue longsleeves and pants with the uzumaki swirls on them, the flak jacket, the gloves. He quickly grabbed his mask which looked vaguely like an anbu mask. It had whiskers like Naruto's face. It was a fox growling. Perfect for Naruto. Naruto looked at himself in the mirror. Satisfied, he quickly shunshined to the academy.

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He entered the classroom and quickly dodged the eraser posed a the top of the door.

"He dodged it? No fun"

"If he couldn't dodge it, he wouldn't be jounin. Grow up, loser"

"Shut it, you!"

"Boys! Please!"

Naruto sweatdropped as he saw his team. Sasuke was brooding in the back of the classroom. He wore a dark navy blue shirt with a huge collar and white pants. The back of his shirt displayed the Uchiha clan sign, big and flashy in all its glory. Konohamaru was in the front picking his teeth with a kunai, looking fidgety. _Another Reno_. Konohamaru had gravity defying hair like kakashi. He wore a 7 foot long blue scarf that cascaded to the floor and he wore a grey shirt on top and dark blue pants. At least it wasn't neon. Sakura was next to Konohamaru, awkwardly trying to stop them from fighting. She still had her red ribbon in her hair which was now significantly longer. Her hitai ate was tied around her neck. She wore a pink vest, a black skirt with dark green capri pants underneath. Naruto felt like he had met a mirror of his old team. _Great._

"My first impression of you guys, hmm, you all suck. Meet me on the roof"

With that, Naruto shunshined to the roof of the school, leaving the genin in a bit of shock.

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an:/reason why Naruto wore a mask in the beginning, no reason in particular. I just thought it would be cool. Naruto is Jounin now! Yay! Reno is back! We will have some old team 7 moments but now we are onto the new team 7, where the narusaku is happening! Aw yiss. Sorry for the long update, I couldn't just leave you with just the jounin test (which was hard to make interesting) Naruto isn't orange anymore! Oh noes! Oh well, tough luck. See ya next update!  
jutsu translation in order of appearance:  
fire style-dawn of the autumn fox dance  
wind style-windstorm temple guardians  
lighting style-lightning sparrow  
earth style-earth style wall  
hell's nightmare: parade of the fox king

byee~


	8. Chapter 8

an:/ Hiya! Slow update? Just kidding, this is fast for most stories..so no complaining! hahaha anyways, some responses to reviews...Sakura, Sasuke, Konohamaru (even him) and Naruto are all 12. Kakashi doesn't need a team because he already taught Rei, Reno, and Naruto...Besides, I need Naruto to be with Sakura...It will be hard with their teacher-student relationship but i like a challenge. As they say, "No pain, no gain!" On to the story!

oh wait...important info: The Uchiha Massacre didn't happen...Minato is in charge i guess, so no dead people. BUT Itachi Uchiha did deflect from Konoha (no I'm not gonna antagonize him so just chill and sit tight until I bring him back into the picture)

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"Alrighty, then! Introduce yourself. Name, Likes/Dislikes, Dreams and Goals, Strengths?"

The three genin looked at the masked jounin strangely. He was incredibly short for one, bright yellow hair for second, and the mask was just plain creepy for third. The mask looked like ANBU, so why would an ANBU be teaching them? And blonde hair? The only person they could think of with blond hair was the Hokage but he wasn't this short. Sakura asked.

"How about you, sensei. Can you introduce yourself to give us an example of how it's done?"

"Okay. My name? Well, I can't give you my real one, so call me Ruto-Sensei. Likes and Dislikes? I have plenty, but not worth mentioning. Dreams and Goals? Not really your business. Strengths? Oh, you'll find out."

The whole team sweatdropped. _He only told us his name, a nickname at that..._ The blond jounin tilted his head. You could practically see the smirk that was behind the boy's mask.

"Okay, I'm done with introductions. You, first, Pinkie"

"Haruno Sakura. I like..."

She tilted her head up to the left towards the sky and giggled.

"My dislikes...Assholes, jerks, losers, "

She sent a glare toward Konohamaru who shrunk away

"My goals and dream? I guess it could be being a Medic nin like my mom. Strengths? Booksmart"

Naruto was a bit confused with this girl. _Was she a fangirl? It's hard to tell what she was giggling at since she didn't really look at anyone in particular. Regardless, it was about somebody. Anyone could notice she hated Konohamaru to an extent. Medic nin? Another Rei. Booksmart? Couldn't she say she was good with strategy?_

Meanwhile, Sakura was also analyzing Naruto... in a different way. _OMG! He reminds me of the kid in strategy class four years back!_

Apparently, back in that first strategy class, Naruto had struck a pretty deep impression on Sakura. Every single class, the blond would be able to give a strategy that would rival the teacher's. Her strategies would be shadowed by the ingenuity in the strategies of the blond. He was really nice to her during group work (since they sat next to each other). She could practically say he was her friend. He looked like he was the same age as her on top of it! Someone with the same intellect, if not greater! He was a _prodigy_. A pretty cute on at that. But, after the blond graduated, she never saw him again, not even on the streets of Konohagakure. To think the son of the Hokage wouldn't be seen on the streets. She started to fantasize about meeting him again, seeing him all grown up and even cooler. She figured that if she became genin, she could see him. Maybe was he chuunin already!

Sakura's thoughts were cut short when the jounin spoke again.

"Alright, you next, Blackie"

"Tch- Name is Uchiha Sasuke. Likes, not many, Dislikes, too many to list. Goals and Dreams? To be the real prodigy of Uchiha and regain the honor of our family. Strengths? Heh, what a joke."

Naruto was unfazed, if not, a bit pissed. Was this kid arrogant or what? Real prodigy? Regain honor? Was he talking about Itachi's defection? _Hate to break it to ya, kid. But Itachi was the one and only prodigy. Graduating academy before people like you. He was one of the few Uchiha who put aside their arrogance to become stronger. Mixed with superior intelligence and the rare humbleness, Itachi was a real prodigy._ Not to mention Naruto was same age as Sasuke, so no competition there on who was a real prodigy. Even with the defection, Naruto harbored respect for Itachi and knew that no other Uchiha could attempt the same success as he did. Sasuke was just no match. Naruto sighed and turned to Konohamaru.

"You, the one with the stupid grin, you're next"

"Hey-not stupid! I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru! I love pranks! I hate Sasuke, and all the other pretentious jerks out there! Goals and Dreams! To be the Hokage, a better one than my Grandfather! Strengths? EVERYTHING!"

"Says the deadlast..."

"SHUT UP, SASUKE!"

Naruto sweatdropped again. It was just like him and Reno. Hokage? Really? Was his dream so cliche that everyone wanted to be Hokage now? Ha, not before him!

"Yeah, not happening anytime soon. Hokage is such hard dream that people die before they even make it to jounin. You gotta become one of the elite jounin first before Hokage, and even then, you have to be suggested to council by another jounin. Just saying you wanna be Hokage ain't gonna get you there."

Naruto scoffed but Konohamaru shot up.

"Is that how a sensei is suppose to respond to his student? Shooting down his dreams?"

"I'm not shooting you down. I'm telling you to train harder. Get stronger to be able to achieve such dreams. At the level you are now, it's not happening. Besides, if you want to become Hokage, you'll have to get through me first."

"Huh? Whadda mean?"

"You can take this both ways, both are correct by the way. First way is, tomorrow there is a second test to the genin test. And I'm the one that decides if you pass or fail to be a ninja. The second way is, I'm gonna be hokage too. I'm practically your rival. Not much of a rival though, considering I'm already jounin and you're barely a genin. So in order to be Hokage, you gotta beat me in both."

"Ha! That's-"

"Yo!"

Konohamaru was interrupted by a new voice. Naruto looked up and saw Kakashi perched on the railing.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei. By the way, you can't mention my name around these guys, it's confidential."

The genin were a bit shocked. Their sensei's sensei was the great copy ninja!? Amazing!

"I see. This is your team, then...?"

"Ruto, I'm Ruto now"

"Well, introduce me to your team then, Ruto"

"Well, here's Bookworm, Emo, and Loser"

Sakura let out a "eep!" and Sasuke and Konohamaru frowned. Konohamaru started yelling.

"Nu-uh! I'm not a loser! I'm gonna be Hokage! I'll make you eat your words!"

"I see why you think that way, Ruto. He reminds me a bit like Reno"

"Shut up, deadlast!"

The two jounin looked at Sasuke at his sudden outburst.

"He reminds me of you in your genin days, Ruto"

"Don't even talk, at least I wasn't emo."

"Cold as always, Ruto. Well, I gotta go. Reno's house at 8?"

"I'll be there"

With that, the silver haired jounin shunshined away. The two boys were ticked off at their sensei's conversation. Sakura walked up and whacked the two boys on the head. Naruto sweatdropped.

"Okay team. The real test is tomorrow. Be there at 7, and uh, I advise you not to eat breakfast. I don't want you all to start throwing up. Don't be late! Disperse!"

The three genin got up. Sasuke jumped off the roof onto the others. Sakura walked over to the door to go down stairs. Konohamaru just tripped over his scarf, then proceeded to jump off the roof, only to lose flight and fall ungracefully to the ground below with a loud crash. Naruto peered over the railing to see a hole in the ground. He shunshined away, hoping the civilians wouldn't get angry with the clumsy genin.

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"You're one of the late ones, Sensei!"

Naruto walked over to the two genin with Konohamaru balling his fist at Naruto.

"Didn't you say we shouldn't be late? And here you are late as ever! 30 minutes late to be exact! Why should be listen to you? You're practically shorter than us? Care to explain?"

Sasuke turned to the two ninjas with interest. Naruto only responded indifferently.

"I'm the same age as you, that's why I'm practically as short as you. But since I'm jounin, you have to listen to me. If you don't, you can count yourself as dead."

Sasuke frowned. _How was he his sensei?_

"How did you become jounin at your age?"

"Ha, well let's just say, I'm the reason you can't claim yourself as a 'prodigy'"

Sasuke frowned again. His jounin instructor was a 'prodigy'? His thoughts were interrupted with a pink girl ran towards them.

"Sorry I'm late guys! My mom wouldn't stop fussing over everything! Then she proceeded to cook me breakfast. I could barely get out of the house!"

"Weren't we not suppose to eat breakfast?"

"Yeah! Now you're gonna barf!"

Naruto looked at the genin and chuckled.

"Actually, I think Sakura is smarter than all of you."

"What?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, Sakura was able to _see underneath the underneath_. I only _advised_ you. It was really up to you to determine if you would follow my advice. Now you will pay the consequences~!"

Sakura was confused. She only ate because her mom forced her too. The two other genin were least to say ticked off as their stomach started growling.

"What consequences, Ruto-sensei"

"Let me explain. The rules of this test. You are to get two bells from me before 12:00."

Naruto pulled out two bells from his pouch and held them out, letting them jingle in the wind.

"If you don't get at least one of these bells by noon, you will be tied to a stump and watch as I eat your lunch in front of you. Not to mention, you will be sent back to Academy. So better come and get them with the intent to kill, or ya not gonna get it!"

The two genin's stomach growled again. Konohamaru, now agitated, asked Naruto.

"But I thought we were already graduated! If the graduation test didn't determine whether I was genin or not, then what was it for?"

"To weed out the hopeless cases. I'm a bit skeptical on its difficulty now, considering you passed."

"Hey!"

"But, sensei!"

Naruto turned to Sakura.

"Yes?"

"If we come at you with the intent to kill, won't we hurt you?"

Naruto chuckled a bit.

"If you can hurt me, then I should turn in my rank as jounin and change my profession. You can't be jounin if you're beaten by a buncha genin. Anyways, let's get this started. GO!"

All the genin shot away, except Konohamaru. _Not this shit, again..._

"You're clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you"

"Hey, Shut up! I'm gonna beat you one on one, then I'll be Hokage!"

"Have fun with that. Meanwhile, I'm gonna just go and find my other genin and test them."

"Were ya listening? I said I'm gonna fight you! Come at me, coward!"

Konohamaru started running towards Naruto.

"Come at you? Why would I when you're already coming to me?"

Konohamaru growled in frustration before unleashing a series of punches and kicks, all evaded by Naruto. Naruto then placed his hand in his pouch and pulled out...a rubiks cube? Naruto stood there in the middle of the field solving a rubiks cube. Konohamaru got really angry and charged at Naruto, who was once again dodging without even looking. Naruto quickly tied up Konohamaru and stood next to him, playing with the cube. When Naruto finally solved the cube, he left it next to Konohamaru and flashed away. Confused, Konohamaru looked at the cube. Suddenly, the cube exploded, leaving orange paint everywhere, and all over Konohamaru who was now completely orange. Konohamaru heard a giggle in the trees and yelled in frustration.

Sakura was in the trees, watching the fight. She tried to gauge the skill level of her mystery sensei. But the fight didn't display much other than he's fast and a bit of a jokester. She then tried to think of a strategy. She couldn't possibly beat Ruto on her own. She wasn't strong enough. She would have to work with the other two, but Sasuke wouldn't want to work with her and Konohamaru doesn't have much skill. Maybe all three? No, no one will want to work together since only two pass. She was stumped on this one. _If only Namikaze was here_, she thought. _Maybe he could think of an awesome strategy for this._

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Naruto found Sasuke who was now in front of him.

"Tell me, Ruto-sensei. If I beat you here, would that make me the real prodigy?"

"Ha, I highly doubt it. I don't even call myself a prodigy considering there were others that were better, for example, _Itachi_"

Apparently, the taunt worked. Sasuke's face turned to pure anger.

"Don't say such _disdainful_ name in front of me ever!"

"Come on, weren't we here to see who was better? All we are doing is talking."

Sasuke growled then charged at Naruto with a kunai.

"Certainly, you aren't like Konohamaru. Frontal attacks are useless."

Sasuke jumped back and paused before he threw the kunai at a rope next to Naruto which unleashed a trap. 50 shuriken were launched at Naruto. Naruto kawarimi and appeared behind Sasuke, delivering a harsh side kick to Sasuke's back. Sasuke backflipped and faced Naruto. Naruto quickly formed hand seals.

_Katon- Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_

Naruto was unfazed once again. He's seen it all before, even used the same jutsu against his sensei.

_Fuuton- Daitoppa!_

Naruto's wind blew out Sasuke's little ball of fire. Sasuke backed away and got into stance. He then charged at the Jounin.

_Douton- Iwa Togoku_

Rock slabs rose from the ground and encased Sasuke. Naruto walked away from the box, hearing muffled sounds from Sasuke trying to escape. Now all that was left was to find Sakura.

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Sakura found Konohamaru and untied him. She told him about a strategy and then proceeded to look for Sasuke. When she found the rock prison, she put an exploding tag on one of the walls and blew a hole, letting Sasuke get out. The three genin were now discussing Sakura's plan.

"I say, Konohamaru goes in for distraction. Use some of your taijutsu to keep his attention away from us. I'll go in with a camouflage technique. Sasuke can go in with a jutsu if all else fails."

Sakura was proud at her strategy. When she was stumped. She thought, _what would Namikaze do?_ Her plan was so foolproof that even the blond would be impressed.

"What about the bells. There are only two."

"I'm not physically ready for this job, another year won't do harm. I'll go back"

"Okay, then. What are we waiting for."

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Naruto looked around the training ground for the last genin, only to sense that all three were together. Were they finally working together? His thoughts were cut short as Konohamaru started sprinting towards the jounin.

"Haha, I'm back Ruto-yaro!"

Naruto frowned at the name. Naru-shit now Ruto-yaro? These people are always screwing up his name.

"Frontal attacks won't freaking work! I keep telling this to you little freaks, but you won't listen!"

"Who you callin' little? We're the same size aren't we, Ruto-yaro!"

Konohamaru charged and Naruto dodged and countered all his hits. Naruto sensed a presence behind him and kicked the two genin away. Sakura and Konohamaru shouted.

"Now, Sasuke!"

Naruto chuckled at the deja-vu. As he expected, Sasuke jumped out from the forest and yelled a jutsu out.

_Katon-Kasai karasu no hiko_!

Sasuke blew flames out which formed a bird. The bird flew towards Naruto who formed a quick seal.

_Suiton-Mizu no Dangan_

Naruto shot a single bullet out of his mouth and put out the bird. Sasuke frowned. But when Naruto charged at him. Sasuke got into a defensive stance but Naruto was already behind him.

"Shit!"

Naruto knocked all the genin out in a flash.

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The three genin started to wake up, groggily. They tried to move, only to find they couldn't. Their focus started to dart around and noticed they were all tied to stumps with Naruto in front with three bentos.

"Oh! You're all awake!"

"Hey! Untie us!"

"Sorry~! No can do! You didn't get a bell! So I'm gonna eat your food!"

Konohamaru started to struggle but Sasuke and Sakura suddenly got interested. Their sensei couldn't possibly eat with the mask on. This was their chance to see their sensei's face! They looked in eager as Naruto slowly reached for his mask. Just as he was about to lift it, his actions were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey Ruto-yaro!"

"How the hell did you know my name, and not you too!"

Naruto turned to see Reno smirking at him from a wheelchair. Konohamaru laughed because he wasn't the only one who gave the nickname to his sensei.

"I heard it from the little genin over there during your fight. I gotta say, it was like Deja-vu!"

Sakura frowned. What did he mean?

"Um, what do you mean Deja-vu?"

"Oh. Our team did the same exact plan as your team did. It also failed."

"What? I thought I planned that strategy out through and through! Who thought of the plan?"

"Your sensei did"

Sakura turned to her sensei in shock. Naruto was chuckling awkwardly and scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, since I planned the same thing, I knew what you guys were gonna do. Partially why you guys lost"

"So now what, Ruto-sensei. We failed didn't we?"

"Nope!"

"What?"

"What do you mean sensei?"

"He means, you all passed! Congrats!"

"Dammit, Reno! I was suppose to say that!"

"Ha sucks for you, N-Ruto-shit!"

"Says the Loser!"

"At least I'm not stuck teaching little twerps!"

"Hahaha, at least they're not as annoying as you!"

"You-"

The genin were, least to say, shocked at the conversation their sensei was having with the civilian. But were snapped out of their reactions when they heard they passed.

"W-we passed!"

"WE PASSED!"

"Tch-"

Naruto looked at them and smiled behind his masked.

"Congratulations. However, I just want you to know, the only reason you passed was because you worked as a team in the end. As my sensei once told me, those who break the rules are trash-"

"But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash..."

"Okay, SHUT UP, RENO! I'M THE TEACHER HERE!"

"Ha ha! Suck on it, Ruto-shit!"

Reno wheeled away leaving Naruto raising his fist at Reno's back.

"I'll get that asshole later. For now, he was right. Don't forget your teamwork. Remember that whatever you can do, if you do it with your teammates, you can do better. Meet me tomorrow same place, same time, for our first mission. Now anyone in for a celebratory ramen?"

"You mean, let's get to see sensei's face while he eats? Sure why not"

Naruto sweatdropped when all the genin agreed with Sasuke's statement. He didn't think about that...Naruto then started to walk away.

"Meet you there!"

The genin tried following but remembered that they were still tied to the stumps.

"HEY RUTO-SENSEI! UNTIE US WILL YA~!"

But Naruto only waved from the distance.

"HEY~"

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an:/ Tis a wrap. Y'all were probably like "TOO MUCH DEJA VU! NO CREATIVITY!" Actually I wanted it to be a deja vu so shut it! I'm not technologically savvy so there weren't any accents on the "e" for deja vu. Anyways. Kakashi and Reno make a guest appearance! Will the genin ever find out who their sensei is? Now we learn that Sakura has actually been crushing on Naruto ALL THIS TIME! DUN DUN DUN just kidding but yeah. Uh where was I? Oh right, Jutsu Translations! Starting by order of Appearance!  
Katon- Goukakyuu no Jutsu! - Fire style- Great Fireball (If you don't know this by now, thats bad!)  
Fuuton- Daitoppa!- Wind style- Great Breakthrough  
Douton- Iwa Togoku- Earth style- Rock imprisonment  
Katon-Kasai karasu no hiko!- Fire style- Fire Raven's flight  
Suiton-Mizu no Dangan- Water style- Water bullet

Mata-ne!  
wait...

READER'S INPUT!

What should Naruto's Alias be for the Bingo book? Please leave your idea in the Reviews! And the one that appeals to me the most will show up. And if you don't then I guess I'll have to resort to my stupid creativity...in other words, it will be lame.

thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

an:/ SLOW UPDATE, SORRY! As I was gonna say: Dear god, did someone just ask me to make this a naruhina? *flabbergasted* w-w-what! This is a_ narusaku_! How could you! Hahaha jk jk but seriously, I'll write a Naruhina fic maybe but not this story. It's already been decided! The gears have been kicked into motion in the last chapter! It's too late! Now as for the alias. A lot of good ideas! I couldn't really pick one so I decided a compromise. You'll find out what it is! Thanks for all your input! Maybe I'll ask for more input in future chapters? Anyways. Let's a go! Wait, I already used that! Ikimasu ka?

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"Oi, Ruto-sensei. Will we ever get something other than yard work? These D-ranks are getting boring!"

"Shut up, loser." _But he's right._

"Now now, children-"

"YOU'RE THE SAME AGE!"

"Tsk- Now now genin...better?"

"You just piss me off to no end"

"That's my job, Konohamaru."

Team 7 had just completed their 20th mission this afternoon. For the past three weeks, Team 7 has been training hard with their new sensei, Ruto. During this time, Team 7 had decided to make a game (to improve teamwork, they say) called, "What the hell is under that freaking mask". Not much of a name, but a hell of a fun game. Team 7 has been trying to find out what their sensei really looks like. They've asked their hokage, they've asked Hatake Kakashi, they've asked the Reno guy. However, everyone seemed to be very vague with their answers.

_Oh, he's just a teammate_

_A very good student_

_An excellent shinobi, with good record, and extraordinary performance._

Aside from _complimenting_ the damn jounin, they have said nothing to Team 7 that could reveal the identity of their sensei. Then they took matters into their own hands. Every day, after Mission and/or Training, the team would eat at a restaurant. During this time, Team 7 would formulate plans to make Ruto-sensei take off his mask. Three weeks of planning, three weeks of failure, not one glimpse of any part of the face. You couldn't even see his eyes when you look through the mask up close, so eye color recognition was out of the question. It was like a real anbu mask. The whole, incognito look too it. Sensei even had chakra suppressors! Talk about not really wanting to be known.

"Nee, sensei...why can't we get a c-rank!"

"Well, Konohamaru, you're just not ready"

"If I knew who you were, I would hunt you down until you gave us a c-rank"

"That's one of the reasons why I wear a mask."

"Damn you, Ruto-yaro!"

"Please stop, Konohamaru-kun. Ruto-sensei doesn't think we're ready, so let's be patient"

"How can you stand up for that guy, Sakura-chan? He's hindering our excellence!"

"He's Ruto-sensei! Of course we have to stand up for him!"_ CHA! HE'S SO MUCH COOLER THAN YOU'LL EVER BE ANYWAYS!_

"Hn, Shut up, Loser."

"NOT YOU TOO, SASUKE!"

Naruto sighed before turning heels. He needed to talk to Tou-san about c-rank. He was also a bit bored out of his mind. He kind of saw why all the jounin were panicking on the day of the selections. _Every freaking day, I have to watch these three bicker as they pull grass. This is not what I expected from a Jounin job._ Naruto sighed again and sauntered away, followed by an inwardly squealing fangirl (at how he walked), an emo, and a hyperactive squirrel.

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"Hokage-sama, Team 7 requests another D-"

"NOPE!"

Everyone looked at Konohamaru, shocked. Not only was he scowling like a child throwing a tantrum, but he interrupted Naruto when talking to Hokage about official business. Konohamaru started again.

"I've had it with all these stupid d-ranks. Puh-lease! We're so above that! Come on, Ruto-sensei! I'm sure you think so too."

Naruto sweatdropped._ Shut it kid. If you don't stop, I'm gonna get the heat for your actions, not only as a jounin but as a child!_

"All we've been doing, Ruto-sensei, Is training and garden work! And if I have to catch Tora, that stupid cat, one more_ freaking_ time, I'm gonna flip a shit!"

Naruto tensed. _That little shit just cursed in front of the Hokage, my dad!?_

"I will not-"

"Enough Sarutobi"

Not that you could actually see Naruto's face, but the mask just made it worse. Naruto glared at Konohamaru, silently daring him to say anymore.

"I will not have you behave that way in the Hokage tower. If you want to rant about how tough genin life is, I suggest you take it back to academy where pampering is okay. Now shut it."

The room went silent after Naruto's scolding. Naruto shifted a bit before turning to the Hokage.

"As I was saying, we will take another d-"

"I think loser's right..."

Naruto rigidly turned to Sasuke with a tick mark on his head. With his teeth clenched, he hissed.

"Is-this-in-sub-ord-in-a-tion, little _twerps_?"

The three genin flinched. Sakura, as much of a (new) fangirl as she was to sensei, she didn't want another d-rank. She knew the chuunin exams were soon, c-rank would get them the experience they need.

"R-Ruto-sensei. If we take a c-rank, it will give us the experience and finish the requirement needed to participate in the upcoming Chuunin-exams..."

Sasuke and Konohamaru flinched. They totally forgot about the chuunin exams! Minato smiled at the reasoning. And Naruto frowned because he was hoping Sakura wouldn't catch on to that, but hey-she wasn't booksmart for nothing.

"Urg. Fine. Hokage-sama, C-rank please."

"YES! I KNEW YOU WOULD PULL THROUGH!"

Naruto pulled out a kage bunshin which appeared behind Konohamaru. The bunshin grabbed Konohamaru into a headlock then dragged him to the window before chucking him out. A loud crash was heard as Konohamaru made contact with the ground. Naruto puffed his chest out, brushed his hands, then looked at the other genin.

"Any other objections or comments?"

The genin shook their heads earnestly.

"Good. Get Konohamaru out of the ground and bring him to training grounds three. Hokage-sama-"

Naruto promptly bowed to Minato, who was still smirking at the interaction of Team 7. Naruto flashed away, leaving the two other genin to fetch Konohamaru.

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"Ne- Ruto-sensei, why don't you ever take off that mask? It's not like we're in enemy territory and you aren't even on an ANBU mission!"

"I will do no such thing. Besides, I don't want you to know who I am"

"Why not!"

"Because, you lot won't be so happy as to who is teaching you."

"I KNEW OUR TEACHER WAS BAD-"

Naruto delivered a swift smack to the back of Konohamaru's head before turning back to Sakura.

"There are lots of advantages to having your identity a secret. One of them being, I can smack the third hokage's honorable grandson and the councilmen can't do anything since they don't know who I am!"

"So that's why you keep hitting me! Do you have something against the third or something?"

"No, just you."

_"Asshole"_

"What was that, Ko-no-ha-ma-ru-kun~"

"N-nothing, Ruto-sensei"

"Good. Now as Sakura so pleasantly brought up-"

Sakura cringed a bit.

"-the chuunin exams will be in, hm, nine months? Plenty of time to go to c-ranks and train. Speaking of training, Genin, 25 laps around the village-"

"_What._"

"Snap to it, twerps."

"Can't you teach us anything of use?"

"After the laps~"

Naruto said in a sing-songy voice. With that, he skipped away and jumped to the trees. The three genin started their laps. Konohamaru burned out after the first 15 (from sprinting). Sakura was already falling behind but she did say she was lacking in the physical department. It wasn't that bad though, so she was still pretty good for her age. Sasuke, however, was on a different planet. He was so damn smug about being able to run one lap ahead of Konohamaru. If Naruto was running with them, he would probably be already done. No bragging, just facts. Naruto was well known among (his fellow graduates) the chuunin and jounin for being a stamina freak, a chakra monster, and one fast motherfu-ehm dude. Not that they knew he was a Jinchuuriki, but the Uzumaki and Namikaze blood covered for him.

Naruto, sadly, pulled out a book, a peculiar orange book. Naruto read the little perverted book almost like Kakashi, every freaking day. Four years with Jiraiya...changed him. A lot. He couldn't show his mom because of the fear of losing something_ important_ to him. And if he showed his dad, though understanding, Minato would probably tell Naruto to stop the behavior in fear that Kushina would find out. Naruto's attention was snapped away from his book when he a fist flew at his face. He quickly dodged and looked at the assailant.

"What do you want, Sasuke"

"Wha- how did you see the fist? Weren't you reading?"

"I'm a _jounin_"

"Che- I'm not buying it. You're the same age as me, damn it. If anything, I should be a jounin at 12. Not some nobody like you."

Naruto frowned and was about to retaliate when Konohamaru interrupted the encounter.

"Ne- Ruto-Sensei, can you teach us something now?"

"Fine."

"ALRIGHT~!"

"Tree-climbing"

"WHAT! I can climb trees perfectly!"

"Let me rephrase that, tree-walking. You walk up trees with only your foot."

"And how the hell are we suppose to do that, Ruto-sensei?"

"Gather chakra at your feet, put too much and blow yourself off the bark, put too little and it won't stick. Here's a kunai to mark your progress. Until you complete it, don't bother me."

"Shouldn't you help us?"

"It's all about teamwork. That's all I'm gonna say."

The three genin looked at Naruto strangely, acquiescently taking the kunai from Naruto. Each genin took off to find a good tree to "climb".

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sensei! I'm done!"

"Oh, that's good, Sakura"

Naruto looked at the other two genin who were still climbing. Thanks to Sakura's smaller chakra pool, she was able to control her chakra easily. This wasn't so much the same for Konohamaru and Sasuke. Thankfully, Konohamaru had asked Sakura for help when he realized Sakura had already gotten the theory and practice down. He was almost at the top. At least he got the whole _teamwork_ thing down. Naruto's gaze then fell on the Uchiha. He swore. _The arrogance of these people_. Sasuke was one thirds of the way up. Sasuke had refused any help, even when practically handed to him on a silver platter. Sakura had actually gone up to him and asked if he needed any assistance. He rudely rejected her help and said that he wouldn't want any help from a civilian. Sakura, although a bit introverted and shy, was outraged. Naruto was also furious, not that he could show it because of the mask. He would teach the kid a lesson but then he would have the whole konoha police force on his ass._ Damn Uchiha._

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto and away from the tree but lost grip and fell, making him lose where he was on the tree. Sasuke crashed to the ground but quickly sprang back up yelling.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT! I'M FUCKING TRAININ-"

Naruto had flashed behind Sasuke and delivered a quite blow the back of the head. Sasuke was rendered unconscious for a few seconds, allowing Naruto to grab him by the collar and throw him across the field._ Police force be damned, this kid is getting a beating._

_"Uchiha Sasuke_. I've had enough of this shit. If you want to keep going like that on my team, there are severe consequences to be paid. This is one of them-"

Naruto flashed in front of Sasuke and shoved his fist up Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke elicited blood from his mouth and was hurled across the field and into a river. Sasuke was yanked out of the water and dropped unceremoniously on the ground. Above Sasuke, Naruto gave him a sharp look which, somehow, Sasuke could actually see Ruto-sensei's eyes. He wished he hadn't. They were icy blue, merciless, cold blooded, ones that saw war, death, horror. Their focus was on him, so sharp that he felt like needles were piercing him. It reminded him of the stories his parents once told of the Yondaime on the battlefield._ Eyes that could kill._ Sasuke froze on the ground.

"Next time,_ Uchiha_, misbehave around me again, and I'll show you what a real ninja is made of. Everybody, meet at the gates tomorrow at 7:00, pack for a week, we're on our first c-rank. I'm out.."

Naruto walked off, leaving Sasuke on the ground, one the verge of hyperventilating with one thought.

_This Ruto character is dangerous, almost on par with Itachi_.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Minato was least to say shocked and a bit worried. Naruto had just scolded one of Kushina's best friend's son, in a very rough manner. Naruto just walked in nonchalantly and told him he had dealt with the "retarded" Uchiha_. Mikoto and Fugaku are going to be so pissed off._ Minato, though probably more powerful, was on the verge of biting his nails. Imagine how much Kushina will flip if Mikoto decides to break off their friendship thanks to Naruto's stunt.

Naruto was still there, hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. With his mask off on his head, Naruto wore a very indifferent expression. _As if he didn't just beat the heir to one of the strongest clans of Konoha._ His thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when his office door busted open. Uchiha Mikoto dragged her son by the ear and marched to the front of the Hokage desk and bowed her head, bringing Sasuke's head to a bow forcefully.

"I am so sorry for what my_ foolish_ son has done to yours, Minato. He was being absolutely stupid."

"Mikoto, please. We're friends, I'm sorry that my son was so brash about it."

Mikoto let out a deep breath.

"Oh thank kami. For a second I thought you'd blow the roof to how my idiotic son has been around the other children and yours. I think that lesson Naruto gave him has brought his little complex to a stop, Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun"

"y-yeah"

"_What?_"

"Y-Yes, Mother!"

Mikoto turned back to Minato and started talking. It was funny how Sasuke wasn't really listening to what his mother had just said, practically the identity of his sensei. Zoned out, Sasuke looked at the side of the office, only to meet the gaze of Namikaze Naruto, the Prodigy of Konoha, son of the Yondaime. He saw how Naruto was staring at him coldly. A mask rested on top of his head- Wait, a mask? Holy shit. Son of a gun, Naruto was Ruto-sensei! Sasuke stuttered, eyes wide as he stared at Naruto. Naruto's face distorted into a mischievous grin._ That's right sucker, I'm the hokage's son and your freaking teacher_, Naruto thought. Naruto straightened up and walked over to Mikoto and Sasuke.

"Hello Mikoto-san. Sasuke-kun, how's the tree exercise going?"

Naruto smiled, giving Mikoto a friendly wave as he waited for Sasuke's response. Sasuke started stuttering again.

"F-fine, S-sensei-"

"That's good. I hope next time, we can work as a_ team_ to train, what do you think?"

"E-excellent i-idea, s-sensei."

"Good!"

Minato and Mikoto understood what Naruto was doing so Minato quickly changed the subject.

"Ah, Mikoto. Kushina will be cooking her famous hotpot tonight. I was wondering if your family would like to join us."

"Why- that sounds like an excellent idea, Minato. We will be there at 6"

Naruto and Sasuke launched a scowl at their parents. Were they trying to make things more awkward? Can't they read the mood here?

"Sasuke, let's go"

Mikoto walked out, dragging Sasuke by the hand. Sasuke shot a dirty look to Naruto which was returned with equal ferocity. This was not unseen by both parents and so Minato and Mikoto both whacked their sons on the head, which both gave out a yelp before turning to their parents apologetically.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To sum up the entire dinner in one word, gauche. It was so awkward. Naruto sat at his seat uncomfortably as Sasuke practically burned holes into him with his eyes. Sasuke still couldn't believe that the 4th hokage's son was teaching him. In a sense, he was starting to regret all the doubting comments he shot at Naruto before. Naruto ate his dinner quietly, flicking his eyes up to meet Sasuke's stare every once in awhile. Naruto finished and walked to the living room. A few moments later, Sasuke walking into the same room and sat parallel to Naruto.

"So..."

"..."

"You're Namikaze Naruto, Ruto-sensei."

"Took a genius for that didn't it"

Sasuke glared at Naruto but Naruto spoke up,

"I just have to ask you to remain silent about this to the other. At least until I personally reveal myself to the others. Can you do that for me, Sasuke?"

"Y-yeah, I guess"

"Cool. Remember our first C-rank tomorrow. Don't be late."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sasuke waved it off and leaned back into his chair.

"C-rank, huh"

"Hm, Sasuke?"

"Nothing, really. Just thinking to myself. Are we really ready for this c-rank?"

"Don't sweat over it. Most of it's just patrol, scouting, retrieval of trivial scrolls. There's only a slim chance of actual danger"

Naruto almost laughed at his own statement. His team had gotten that slim chance, the damn slim chance that took his friend's dream. He'd damn well kill himself before he let his new team go through the same thing. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle out loud, catching the attention of Sasuke.

"What's so funny, Naruto-sensei"

"Just thinking about my first c-rank..."

Sasuke gulped when Naruto's face turned into something dark.

"...but that's for another day."

"Goddammit, Sensei! You're always an enigma! Can't you just tell us about yourself?"

"What's the fun in that?"

Naruto playfully jabbed at Sasuke and they continued their bickering until Fugaku and Mikoto came by to get Sasuke to leave.

"See ya tomorrow, Sasuke!"

"See ya, Sensei!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto stifled a yawn as he continued to read his book at the gate. He was 15 minutes early, but he was sensei so it was only natural. Naruto had now worn his "full battle uniform", the uniform he wore for all the battles and fights he did during his training trip. He wore his usual Jounin attire this time but he added a red votive bib covering his neck. He had his ninjato strapped to his back that had a red ribbon tied around the hilt. Naruto's usual anbu fox mask, instead of black, was now blood red.

The three genin finally arrived the gate, slightly surprised at their sensei's upgraded getup. They exchanged greetings and then stood at entrance, not moving. They started waiting for about 2 minutes but Konohamaru easily lost patience.

"What the hell are we waiting for, Ruto-sensei?"

Sasuke smirked, now knowing his sensei's real identity. Naruto sighed and responded.

"Our client. We gotta wait for our client."

"OH? Are we protecting somebody? A princess? Daimyo? Kage? Somebody famous?"

"No...we're protecting-"

"-me"

Team 7 turned to see the owner of the voice. It was an old man with a beard and a straw hat. He looked severely hungover, and held a bottle of sake in his right hand. His bag was filled with maps and scrolls. Konohamaru was annoyed.

"Who the hell are you, old man?"

"I'm Tazuna, The Bridge Builder. Who the hell are you, pipsqueak?"

"Pipsqueak? Who the hell are you calling pipsqueak? I'm a full fledged genin! See this hitai ate? I'm a ninja! Ni-n-ja! I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru! I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Better remember my name!"

"che-I ordered some real ninjas, not some wannabe Hokage. Does the Hokage have any respect?"

This time, Naruto cut in.

"Sir, you asked for a c-rank mission, we've got people the qualify for the request you applied for. If you don't feel like this is adequate, apply for a higher rank and pay more, if not, stay silent. I'm a jounin so stay rest assured, you are fine."

"Che-fine, though aren't you a bit short to be a jounin?"

"Aren't you a bit old to be building bridges?"

"Age doesn't matter"

"Then I guess it doesn't matter for me either. Let's move out, Team 7"

Tazuna was left a bit speechless before grumbling to himself, following the four ninjas.

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The team was briefed on the mission they were doing. Accompany and protect Bridge Builder, Tazuna, on his way back to the land of the Waves, stay and help build the bridge, come back. It was really simple actually. And traveling was going to be great because it was a sunny day today, clear skies with just the right temperature. Naruto remembered on his first mission, the clouds were dark and it was going to rain.

"Urg, when I said c-rank, I was expecting a bit more action!"

Naruto looked towards Konohamaru, who was groaning and complaining.

Naruto's eyes caught attention of something and looked to see his genins. They were all completely unaware of their surroundings. Sasuke-emo was brooding, Sakura lecturing Konohamaru, Konohamaru complaining, Tazuna...being a civilian. Naruto sighed but kept on alert. Clearly he was on his own in terms of awareness.

"Ne- Ruto-sensei, Aren't-"

Sakura's voice was interrupted by the sound of chains rubbing together. All of a sudden, Naruto was wrapped around with chains. With a yank, he was dismembered and decapitated in front of the genin and Tazuna.

"SENSEI!"

_"One jounin down, three little kiddies to go_"

A rogue appeared out of nowhere and attacked the genin. He wore a dark brown cloak with a scratched out kirigakure hitai ate. He held a scythe attached to a chain with a spike at the end. The man ran towards the genin, scythe posed to strike. Sakura was caught off guard and was scared. This guy was too fast for her. His speed. If he could take down Ruto-sensei in a second, what makes them think they can beat this guy? On the other hand, Sasuke got right to it, launching several kunai and shuriken at the rogue. Konohamaru jumped in front of Tazuna. Sakura snapped out of her frozen state but could barely move her shaking legs. Sasuke grabbed the chain of the rogue and yanked forcefully, cocking his fist back and ramming it into the rogue's face with a sickening crunch. The rogue backed away and took a stance. Sasuke was cut up a bit but he still stood in front of the others, followed by Konohamaru. Suddenly, Naruto flashed in front of the rogue and jammed his kunai into the rogue's chest cavity. The rogue stuttered.

"N-No. No way, I never had a chance, the S-Shinobi no I-"

Naruto had silenced the man before he could finish by taking one last strike to the throat. The body dropped to the floor and Naruto quickly sealed him into a scroll. He then turned to Tazuna.

"Is there any particular reason why a B-ranked Nukenin after you? More specifically, a B-ranked Nukenin named The Chain Reaper? This is around a high B-rank to low A-rank mission"

Barely focused on what Naruto said, Sakura finally let her legs collapse.

"Sensei, you're alive!"

Naruto turned to Sakura, then to the other two.

"Good job, we'll work on the freezing up later. Right now, though, I need answers. Tazuna."

"Alright, alright. It ain't really what it seems. Ya see, Wave country is really poor right now, and we haven't got any money. I couldn't afford the price of an A-rank or B-rank. There's this guy, Gato, he's been terrorizing the people of Wave. We needed to build a bridge to help boost our economy and support ourselves. Gato has been trying to stop the construction of the bridge. I thought that if I got help from Konohagakure no Sato, they wouldn't try to kill me. But you sent genin instead of chuunin to do the job..."

"Hm, this does have some problems. Genin aren't really ready for an A-rank-"

"Yes, we are!"

Naruto turned to Konohamaru and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't know..."

This time Sasuke interrupted.

"If Konoha backs out of a simple mission like this, it would hurt our reputation for future clientele. If they find out that a bunch of genin finished an A-rank, it could bring in some more wealthier clients. Besides, we aren't really a bunch of average genin, are we? And we have a prodigy with us, I think the odds are with us."

Konohamaru glared at Sasuke.

"If you're talking about yourself being the prodigy, you can forget it!"

"Shut up, loser!"

Konohamaru frowned. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. Sasuke was correct in a sense. Besides, this thug called Gato probably had a bunch of Bandits and a few Mercenary Nins but that's about it. He could handle any B-ranked shinobi any day.

"Alright. Genin? Do you wish to complete this mission?"

"YES SENSEI!"

"Hn"

"Uh-okay, Ruto-sensei."

"Alrighty then. Tazuna, when the bridge is completed and the economy gets going, Konoha expects full pay for an A-ranked mission."

"Fine."

"Okay, let's move out!"

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The rest of the travel through the forest's had been clean. The group rode a boat to cross over the sea. Along the way, they saw the great bridge that Tazuna was working on. Tazuna gave them a brief history on the Land of Waves, even a brief summary of the now-gone Land of Whirlpools, giving Naruto a soft chuckle. As they finally made it to land, the fog around them got heavier. Sakura put her hand above her eyes and looked around.

"Wow, it's really the Land of Waves, you can barely see"

"A-actually, it isn't suppose to be this foggy..."

"Team 7, this fog is laced with chakra, stay sharp, we're in an enemy jutsu!"

But it was too late. Something came flying towards them. Naruto yelled.

"Duck!"

Naruto dragged Tazuna to the floor as the other genin dropped to the floor. The flying object stuck to a tree, revealing itself as a huge Kubikiribocho. In a flash, someone landed on the lodged blade.

"It seems that there are Konoha dogs with my victim. Let's make this fun, shall we?"

Naruto glared at the man. He had read the man's name in the bingo book.

"Zabuza, no Kijin. A-rank Nukenin."

"You know your stuff, kid. Too bad that smart brain of yours will be spilt all over the ground once I'm done with you."

"I'm afraid, Zabuza-san, that I can't let you do that."

Though Naruto was really strong, he wouldn't be able to protect 4 other people while he's fighting. The fog started to clear up a bit revealing Zabuza's appearance. The man had wrappings around his face and neck and a belt across his chest to hold his sword. His hitai ate on the side of his head with a scratch down the kiri symbol. The man chuckled.

"Well, well, well. I might actually have fun this fight. Isn't that right,_ Shinobi no Inari_. The boy with a fox mask and red votive bib. You're really as young as they say. Heard you were also adept with kenjutsu. _Flee on sight_ orders from the rebels of Kiri. My, my. Let's have fun shall we, Inari?"

"I guess there isn't really a choice..."

Naruto drew his ninjato out. The end of the red ribbon on the hilt had a golden bell that jingled.

"tsk, a bell gives away position, shouldn't a high class nin like you know that, Inari-boy?"

Naruto ducked as the executioner's blade swung at him. Zabuza disappeared and the fog got more dense.

"R-Ruto-sensei, I can't see, I'm scared!"

"Sakura-"

"Oh, little genin's are scared. Scared of killing? Scared of _death_? That's good. Though, Konoha is getting really soft on their children. When I was your age, my hands were already soaked in blood. No matter, you should embrace this fear, for it will be the last thing you feel. Now where should I strike? Which arteries? Maybe I should just cut off all your heads in one swing..."

Zabuza appeared among the genin and Tazuna. But before Zabuza could strike, Naruto blocked the huge cleaver with his ninjato.

"I won't let you put a single finger on my students."

"Heh, we'll see about that."

"Team 7, Formation D, protect the Builder, move away from here!"

As the genin took the builder away to the sidelines, Naruto and Zabuza jumped back from each other. Naruto shot chakra through his blade and charged. The two Nins engaged in a kenjutsu fight, sparks flying everywhere as the clang of the two swords rang through the clearing. The fight was so fast that Sasuke could barely see what was going on.

Though both were equal in kenjutsu mastery, the weight of Zabuza's blade and the muscle power behind it was far greater than the 12 year old's small ninjato. Naruto was getting pushed back slowly but surely. Zabuza swung his blade horizontally and Naruto ducked under. Anticipating this, Zabuza kneed Naruto in the face. Naruto dodged at the last second, allowing the knee to crush his mask right before he dodged.

Naruto huffed as the shards of his mask started to fall. Naruto shoved off the remaining pieces and looked up, revealing his 12 year old face, sharp blue eyes, and whisker marks.

"Ho ho. Who would've guessed. The Shinobi no Inari is the son of the Yellow Flash! This just keeps getting better!"

Naruto dodged another volley of strikes and jumped away, landing on water.

"Wrong move."

_Suiro no Jutsu_

Naruto was engulfed in a dome of water._ Shit, I'm stuck._

"I guess the foxes aren't as smart as they seem. Water is my domain, it was a mistake to step on it."

_Mizu bunshin no Jutsu_

Naruto's eyes widened as another Zabuza started to form. With a feral grin behind the facial wrappings, the clone charged at the genin.

"It's over, Inari-boy"

Zabuza swung his blade at the genin.

_Hiraishin no Jutsu_

In a flash, Naruto appeared and blocked the swing with his blade. Zabuza went wide eyed and looked back at his prison. The Naruto inside the prison suddenly dissipated, leaving bubbles in its place.

"You're not the only one who can make solid clones, Zabuza-san"

_Tajuu Kage bunshin no Jutsu_

15 Narutos popped into existence and charged at the two Zabuzas. The original Zabuza slipped away from the prison, releasing the jutsu, as his clone was taken out. He swung his blade just in time to take out 10 of Naruto's clones. The remaining five encircled him.

_Fuuton- Daitoppa_

_Katon- Goukakyuu no Jutsu_

The Naruto's combined the jutsu's and trapped Zabuza in a ball of fire. When the fire went out, Naruto noticed Zabuza had made an escape. A few meters away, Zabuza rested behind a tree, sporting a few 2nd and 3rd degree burns. _Damn, that Inari-kid has some powerful jutsus._

Naruto closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. _Over there._

_Douton- Asu Sekijun no jutsu_

Before Zabuza could move several spikes rose from the ground, piercing Zabuza's leg.

_Suiton-Nanatsu no Suiko no jutsu_

Zabuza looked up to see seven foxes formed by water staring at him a few meters away.

_Raiton- Kaminari Suzume_

The foxes were struck by lightning and now were sparking blue electricity. They charged at Zabuza but right before they jumped, a few senbon were launched at Zabuza and struck the base of his neck. Naruto immediately stopped his jutsu and let the foxes melt, leaving a puddle of water still merged with lightning. Naruto looked up to the trees to see the newcomer.

"Thank you, I've been looking for this Nuke-nin for a while. You've made my job easier."

The person was a hunter nin from Kiri. A boy that sounded no older than him. The boy jumped down, grabbed the body of Zabuza. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Because of your fight, I was able to take down Momochi Zabuza. Kiri has many thanks to Konoha. My regards."

The hunter nin disappeared and the fog began to clear away. Naruto stood there for a second, staring at where Zabuza was, deep in thought. But Naruto quickly looked away and back at his genin. He walked over to Team 7.

"Is everyone okay?"

"Sensei..."

He looked at everyone who was just gawking at him. Konohamaru started.

"Sensei, your mask. You're..."

Sakura almost squealed as she finished Konohamaru's sentence.

"...Namikaze, Naruto!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. Thanks to his hair almost as long as Minato's, the four thought they were practically looking at the Yondaime.

"It's best if we get Tazuna-san to safety, I know you must have lots of questions, but mission first."

"O-osu"

Sasuke was only shocked because of the level of fight. So this was what it was to be Jounin. The fight was eye opening for Sasuke as he learned that Naruto was really a prodigy.

The rest of the travels back to Tazuna's town was silent. Naruto didn't bring a spare mask so now Konohamaru, Sakura, and Tazuna were openly staring at the young jounin.

"Why weren't you gonna tell us who you were, _Naruto_-yaro"

"Just because you know who I am now, doesn't mean I won't hit you."

With that, Naruto flashed in front of Konohamaru and flicked the boy on the head, causing Konohamaru to shuffle back a few steps.

"OW~! The council will hear about this!"

Naruto then pulled Konohamaru into a head lock.

"They won't know if you don't tell them. You wouldn't rat me out, would you, _Ko-no-ha-ma-ru-kun~_?"

Naruto's sickly sweet voice brought shivers down Konohamaru's back.

"I w-won't, N-naruto sensei"

"Good...Now let's get to the fisherman's town! We've got a lot of building to do!"

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an:/ I've been taking a lot of test lately and I've been working on this chapter for the past two days, so the chapters have been a bit slow. Well it did give more time for the reader input question. Speaking of alias, a lot of you wanted something to do with Foxes and some decided to call him the second god of shinobi or little professor. AND I was like GENIUS! Finding a perfect name to tie back to Sarutobi! So I was like Shinobi no Inari (fox god of shinobi?)? HAHA! YES! History lesson! Inari is the god of fertility and foxes (along with other stuff) point is...Inari is the god of Foxes, geddit? You are all probably like "All that hard work reviewing n' shit and Aerotyl still comes up with this lame ass name, geez" Whatever, it's decided. Lol, It's too late? Next time: Is this mission really over? As for the jutsu, a majority is either used in the series itself or I've already used it. SO LOOK IT UP! I'm kinda too lazy right now. Just got my SAT scores back, part of the junior year lol, I've got work to do so I'll be studying really hard, not much time for writing I guess. Okay anyways. See ya next chapter! AH WAIT!

READER INPUT!

Should Zabuza and his little apprentice live?

a) Only Zabuza lives  
b) Only Haku lives  
c) They both live  
d) They both die

The most votes obviously will happen. Leave your vote in the Reviews or PM me!

mata ashita!


	10. Chapter 10

an:/HAPPY THANKSGIVING, PEOPLE (not really anymore, I was planning on giving this out yesterday, but it was already midnight)! I know. You're all like "why was she writing on Thanksgiving when she should be celebrating?" HAHAHAHA. I know. It's my gift to you :D  
Thank you for all the reviews so far. As I've counted, a majority of you readers want Zabuza and Haku to survive! What? No blood and gore? No first deaths? Well, it was kind of expected. But I'll keep my promise and write what you guys want. **BUT THE FIGHT WON'T APPEAR IN THIS CHAPTER.**I'll give a few more days to get in votes, so next chapter. For now, let's get on with the story already.

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Team 7 and Tazuna had finally reached the village. If you could even call it a village. The buildings were mere shacks with broken windows and unhinged doors. The place smelt of rotten fish with a evanescent smell of blood. There were many people on the streets, beaten up and disease ridden. Most of the villagers were in rags. At the corner of the street intersection, Konohamaru caught sight of some thugs beating up a man. He quickly ran over.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

With that Konohamaru quickly dealt with the three thugs. Konohamaru held out his hand to the beaten man but he only scrambled away in fear. Konohamaru frowned. Naruto flashed to his side and put his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder.

"It's best if we leave right now."

"But, these people! We need to do something!-"

"We will, not now."

Konohamaru averted his eyes from Naruto and looked at the ground. Naruto walked back to the group as Konohamaru slowly followed. Sakura put her hand over her mouth to block out the stench, but, it was futile. Sasuke tried to avert his eyes from making contact with the villagers on the sidewalks. Naruto kept his face forward, unfortunately experienced with these kinds of hardships. They were just like the people at Kiri if not better. At least the dead were disposed of properly. Back in the war ridden villages of Kiri, dead bodies were left on the streets. The stench of blood and rotting flesh was more prominent. Bile and other excrements littered the streets along with rats and other fowl rodents. At least this village in Waves was clean. Naruto looked over to his genin. Konohamaru kept his face in a scowl and was clenching his fists.

When the five arrived at Tazuna's house, it was slightly better. The house was towards a better part of the village. The house was whole and inside was furnished. A young woman came out to greet the group.

"Hiya! You all must be the ninjas my father, Tazuna, requested! Welcome to our humble home, I'm Tsunami"

The whole team muttered a small greeting as Naruto returned the enthusiasm in his greeting, complete with a wave and a small smile. The five entered the house and situated themselves in the kitchen. Konohamaru slammed his hand on the table.

"What the hell is wrong with this pithole? These people are suffering!"

"Sarutobi, calm down."

"No. I've had enough! I mean, don't these people have ninjas to protect them from thugs? Where are all the law enforcements? Why is this place so devastated?"

Tazuna looked up solemnly.

"We don't have ninja. Ever since our neighboring Uzushiogakure was destroyed, we never had any ninjas, leaving this place open for all the thugs to come in, and come in they did. This man, Gato, started to take over this place, hiring the thugs to do his deeds in promise of large sums of money."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Konohamaru's eyes widened in recognition, as well.

"Gato? No way! He's like one of the richest men in the land! I saw it in a magazine back at Konoha"

"The very same. He cut off our water trade routes by seizing it with his thugs. Without our oversea trades, our economy collapsed. Most of the money are taken by Gato's thugs who took all the jobs and the food. Our hospital, if it even is one, consists of midwives and local healers. The thugs beat up a lot of people so the hospital rarely sees patients unless its really an emergency. The thugs like to rob us, beat us up for no reason. If your family has women, hide them. These men are ruthless. But, with this new bridge I'm building, we won't need our trade routes. That's why Gato has been trying to take me out. I'm the reason why he is going to lose a lot of profit. Most of my builders are not paid, but it doesn't matter. They do it for free because they know the benefits that will come to them if this bridge is finished. They were all traders before, their businesses destroyed by Gato."

"Urg, this Gato man. I really don't like him. Naruto-sensei, we gotta do something about this!"

"I agree. However, we need to take this slow and take in all factors into consideration."

The genin looked up to Naruto as he continued.

"I'll be going solo around the village to see what we can do. Meanwhile, I'll leave a clone to train you three and guard the builders during their working hours."

"What will you be doing, Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed at Sakura.

"Things only a jounin can do."

Naruto was interrupted by a small voice behind him.

"Quit tryna act all tough! Gato is gonna kill you an' you can't do anything 'bout it! You act all tough but you can't do much can you! I bet you've never been through anything as tough as we're going through"

Naruto turned around to see a small boy standing at the frame of the door. Naruto's face distorted into anger, his chilling eyes freezing the child.

"Hey, kid. You want to know about _tough_? I'll tell you about _tough_. Go see Kiri-"

"Naruto-san, please excuse Inari. He's a bit brash."

Tsunami forcefully guided Inari from the room. But it didn't stop Inari from saying more.

"I-I bet Kiri is better off considering they actually have ninjas!"

Naruto slammed his hand down on the table and shot up from his seat. His eyes flashed with fury. Tazuna, a bit scared at the display of ki Naruto unleashed, attempted to calm him.

"P-Please, Naruto-san. Excuse the rudeness of my grandson. He has never seen Kiri before. He is speaking from inexperience, which I presume you don't have..."

Naruto flinched, collecting himself and toning down the ki. He sat down and took deep breaths.

"My apologies, Tazuna-san. But you are correct. I am not inexperienced with the horrors of Kiri. I will sadly inform you that they were and still are in a worse state than here."

The three genin looked in interest as their enigmatic sensei was about to reveal something. Naruto continued.

"Kiri was in a civil war only a few years back. I was on a training trip abroad and ran into a village not too different from yours. Being only ten years old, ignorant of the meaning of war, I openly stated I would help the official Kiri win against the rebels. I reacted just like Konohamaru did. But my mentor wouldn't have any of it, considering that if Konoha had interfered, political issues would rise from it. This is where my moniker began. I started posing as the god, Inari. Heh, what irony that your boy was named the same. Either way, I wore a mask to hide my association with Konohagakure."

"So _Shinobi no Inari_was your name on the battlefield?" Tazuna questioned.

"Correct. My red bib was known to everyone, and my mask struck fear to every opponent, even those on my side. The jingling of my sword reminded them of the temples of Inari. My unbelievable speed was godlike to them. My fox-influenced jutsu was reknown in Kiri. They started calling me the Inari god of Shinobi. I guess it just kinda stuck with me."

"Wow, sensei! You were really cool! Didn't Zabuza say something about a flee on sight order?"

"Heh, yeah something like that. But I'm not as cool as you think. The war. It was mentally scarring. The mental trauma that you'd think you would be immune to was inevitable. I started having nightmares of all the men I slew, the blood I drew, the pleas of help they cried. War isn't as fun as you think. Watching your friends get slashed down in front of you, is anything but cool. Now as for your grandson, Inari. I'm afraid that he has yet to experience true horror. The villages were littered with dead bodies to rot. At least Gato had the decency to clean out the streets."

Sakura walked over to Naruto and hugged him. Naruto was least to say shocked.

"I-it must have been hard, Sensei."

Naruto's eyes softened. Sakura's tears were leaking onto Naruto's shirt.

"It's fine, Sakura. Thank you."

Konohamaru's eyes narrowed in anger as he focused on a spot on the table.

"Those _bastards_. These people. They're suffering for the gain of Gato. GATO HAS NO DECENCY! We-we gotta do something about it!"

Sasuke's eyes flinched up at Konohamaru's burst. Sakura released her hug and looked at Konohamaru, tears still spilling from her eyes. Naruto looked up as well.

"No shit, Konohamaru. We're obviously gonna do something about it. It's our will of the fire. It may not be in the mission description-"

Naruto looked at Tazuna who winced a little.

"-but we're Konoha's very best genin team. We're gonna change this town. Let's prove this Inari-kid that Konoha's ninja are not to be trifled with."

"Osu!"

"Alright, off to bed. We gotta wake up early tomorrow so I can train you three. Tazuna, thank you for your hospitality."

The three genin got up and went to their designated rooms, led by Tsunami. Naruto got up and head towards the door. Tazuna looked up and asked.

"And where are you going, Naruto-san?"

"Like I said, Jounin stuff."

"...Such as?"

"Extermination, maybe even some Recon"

Tazuna's eyes narrowed questioningly. Naruto shrugged and exited the building.

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Sakura opened her eyes in the morning. She stretched and looked around her room. Oh wait, she was not in her room, she was on a mission. She remember what happened the day before and remembered hugging Naruto. She squealed and held her face in self embarrassment.

"I hugged _him_!"

She rolled around on the bed until she fell to the floor which snapped her out of the love trance. She got up and got ready for the day.

Next door, Konohamaru and Sasuke were forcefully shoved off their beds thanks to two Narutos.

"Get the hell up, twerps"

Sasuke and Konohamaru groaned as Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the two boys, sprawled out on the floor.

"That's it..."

_Suiton- Suiryuudan no jutsu!_

Two miniature water dragons splashed onto the faces of the two boys who both jolted up, rubbing the water off their face.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, NARUTO-YARO!"

The two boys yelled as Naruto made a beeline to the kitchen, giggling with glee like a little girl.

Breakfast was chaotic as Sasuke and Konohamaru tried getting revenge on their sensei, only to be tied up to their chair. Sakura was trying to act as mediator between the three boys. Tsunami was chuckling at the four teenage ninjas. Tazuna was grumbling as he read the newspaper. Sakura stopped short when she noticed something on Naruto's leg.

"Naruto-sensei, what happened to your leg- OH MY KAMI! It's bleeding! We gotta heal it!"

Naruto looked down to see his leg. It had a six inch gash going diagonal from his thigh. _Oh right, I got that from last night_. Konohamaru interrupted his thoughts.

"Naruto-sensei? How did you get that wound? I'm sure you didn't get it from Zabuza. It wasn't there yesterday..."

Naruto awkwardly shifted away, looking to the side.

"I was just...doing stuff..." _More like taking out thugs and low rank nukenin. Maybe a bit more._

Sakura got up from her seat and approached the retreating Naruto.

"Doesn't matter. Now I may not be the best medic nin right now, but I picked up a few tricks from my Mom. I can give you first aid before it infects."

"N-now now Sakura-chan. That's not necessary, I'm sure the fox-" _Crap_. Naruto cut short before he revealed anything about the Kyuubi.

"Fox?"

"Uh- I heal quickly...Uzumaki blood?"

Tazuna's eyes widened.

"_Uzumaki_, you say?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Are you part of the Uzumaki clan? Are there survivors?"

"Yeah, me and my mom, Uzumaki Kushina"

"Kushina-chan! Ah, the heiress?"

"Whoa, my mom's an heiress?"

Konohamaru interrupted the conversation.

"Don't change the topic! The real question is, how the hell did you get a wound like that? It wasn't there before!"

"Hn"

"Guys, it's only a flesh wound...I'm sure I got it from, I don't know, a stray branch."

"Hn, Naruto. Branches don't cut pants and flesh that cleanly. It looks like a wound from a Kunai. What exactly were you doing last night?"

Tazuna whispered loud enough so the whole table could hear.

"Busted~"

Naruto flinched and glared at Tazuna while the other three genin looked at Naruto with a scowl.

"What the hell were you up to, Naruto-sensei?"

"Yeah, Naruto-yaro! What were you up to?"

"Hn"

"W-well, I-Wait. Why the hell am I being pushed around by you three. I don't need to respond to you! That's it, end of discussion. Get ready for training!"

Naruto flashed away. The three genin yelled.

"COWARD!"

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Thanks to the antics of the three genin earlier, Naruto had pushed their training to the limit (not as much as back home since they were on a mission, still hard though). Konohamaru kept grumbling. By the time they reached the bridge for guard duty, Naruto had gathered the genin into a circle.

"Team 7, I have some pretty important news that I need you all to take very seriously and calmly."

The three genin gulped.

"I believe that Momochi Zabuza...is still alive."

Konohamaru screamed.

"WHAT?"

Naruto clamped his hand over Konohamaru's mouth to shut him up.

"I told you to take it _calmly_! Not shout out to the world! Quiet! Now where was I-"

"Hn. But how did he survive? Wasn't there a hunter nin?"

"That's what the enemy wanted us to think. The hunter nin was probably on Zabuza's side."

Sakura continued.

"Naruto-sensei brings up a good point. Most hunter nin carry larger weapons that inflict more damage to ensure that the nukenin is dead and in a sense, requires less skill. This specific hunter nin used senbons. Senbons require lots of accuracy and probably immense skill and if the accuracy isn't good, well senbons don't have much damage. The body has lots of pressure points too-"

"-points around the neck that can inflict a near death state. And that, my little genin, is how the fake hunter nin fooled us into thinking he killed Zabuza. And if that doesn't convince you, it is mandatory procedure that the body of a nukenin be removed on the spot. This hunter nin grabbed the body and left, probably to rescue the damn guy."

At this point, Sakura was innerly squealing. _We're finishing each other's sentences!_The other two genin were shocked. The nukenin had an accomplice from the start! Naruto coughed a bit for their attention and continued.

"That being said, we gotta train harder. The accomplice seemed really skilled and around our age."

"What! Another prodigy? I thought you'd be the only one!"

"Quiet Konohamaru. Remember, with teamwork, you can beat the hardest opponents. I'll be busy fighting Zabuza so you guys gotta work together. Now, I've already sent a messenger hawk to the Hokage with the change of plans. Backup won't be happening because last night I was busy taking them out."

"So that's what you were doing! Damn, Naruto-yaro, you coulda just told us."

"Anyways, I went in for a bit of recon, which ended up into Interrogation and, well, one thing led to another and the whole operation turned out to be an assassination in a massacre."

The genin's mouths dropped at the blond who just shrugged off a mass killing like it was nothing.  
Sasuke was puzzled.

"By assassination, do you mean you killed Gato already?"

"Pretty much, and his thugs too."

"Then doesn't that mean Zabuza won't kill us?"

"No. Since he's not getting his pay, he'll need to get some compensation for his work. My bounty will be more than enough for him."

"Your bounty?"

"18 million ryos"

"WHAT!? THAT'S FRIGGIN' A LOT!"

"Shut it, Ren- I mean, Konohamaru."

"Hn, then what are we gonna do about it?"

"Well, sadly I got you guys into this considering it's my head he's after. But this will be good training, no? A little bit of fighting on the side, showing off your teamwork in a real fight. I think this will be great for you little genin."

"But Naruto-sensei, wouldn't a hunter nin be too much?"

"I understand the concept seems frightening, but I believe you guys can do it. Isn't it the job of the sensei to believe in their students? How about this, you guys beat this little hunter nin and I'll treat you to something back at Konoha"

"OSU!"

"Let's finish guarding this bridge. If my calculations are correct, Zabuza should have a week to recover. Let's mosey"

(an:/ whoa! is that a FFVII reference? I couldn't see it from a mile away :|)  
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The rest of the week went by like a breeze. There were no thugs to take care of considering Naruto had practically taken them all out. Naruto had given each of his genin a scroll to learn a new jutsu. Sakura learned Douton- Doryuuheki. Though it was an elemental jutsu, Naruto deemed Sakura able with her chakra control. Sasuke learned Raiton- Kaminari Suzume because his katon jutsu arsenal was suffice thanks to his Uchiha upbringing. Konohamaru learned Katon- Goukakyuu no jutsu. Though less powerful than Uchiha, Konohamaru was gifted with a few talents from the Sandaime Hokage. Konohamaru was able to shoot out multiple fireballs consecutively, equal size, equal speed. This was a feat that the Sandaime was well known for. This genin team was exceptional with excellent skill.

Naruto noticed Sakura's interest in medical jutsu so he taught her the very basic chakra healing for minor cuts and bruises. With her excellent control she was able to take the skill even further and could do more complex injuries. How could she do this? Well somehow, something clouded Naruto's judgement and so, impulsively, he volunteered himself as her practice dummy. Ridiculously, he self inflicted wounds on himself and asked Sakura to heal him. Pretty stupid and in a sense, a bit psychotic since he's self harming, but he wanted to see if Sakura could improve more. Anything for his students to improve, in this case, Sakura.

Naruto sparred with the three genin to improve their teamwork. Uchiha was getting better at working with the other two. Konohamaru, though still brash as ever, was able to make actual logical decisions during a fight. Sakura was able to make more complex strategies on the fly, thanks to personal lessons given by Naruto, which Sasuke dropped by and listened once in awhile (not everyday the prodigy of konoha gives lessons on strategy, much more in depth than the ones at academy).

Today was the final day. It has been a week and Naruto was almost sure that Zabuza would attack the minute he could move. His judgement was rarely wrong but he tried not to remind the genin that much. Last thing he wanted was to give them cold feet. But he couldn't have them freezing up or making rash decisions like he and Rei did on their c-rank fight. They were having their breakfast after a (Forceful, thanks to Naruto's insistence) good night's sleep.

"Team 7. Today is the day."

"What do you mean, Naruto-yaro?"

"Zabuza will probably attack the bridge today."

"What? Why didn't you tell us this earlier, Naruto-sensei! We could have trained more!"

"I believe I have trained you three to the best of my ability in one week. And with your healing abilities, Sakura, you're team has nothing to fear."

"We're up against a hunter nin!"

"He's probably not even a real one since he's a rogue like Zabuza."

"Sure, but he seemed to be pretty skilled!"

"I believe in you guys."

"See, Sakura-chan! Naruto-yaro believes in us! We can beat him and bring peace to this place. Naruto's massive amount of clones got a majority of the bridge done. Just this one fight and a few more days to complete the bridge and this mission is over! We'll be heroes!"

"Quit lying to yourselves!"

Team 7 looked to the door to see the intruding voice. It was Inari again. _Damn that little depressed brat._Inari started again.

"You can't beat Gato! I know you can't! Heroes don't exist. Not even the heroes here could save us. What makes you think you can do the same? You'll probably die just like the rest of them."

"Now listen here kid-"

Inari left before Naruto could even finish his sentence. Tazuna entered the room this time and sat down.

"Don't hate on the ignorance of the kid. He just had a bit of a rough spot. His idol, this man named Kaiza, tried to be a hero to these people. Gato killed him in front of poor Inari and the rest of the civilians."

Sakura looked down.

"That's sad, he must of had it rough."

The silence of melancholy was cut short when Naruto spoke up.

"Well he's just being a little wimp. Running away from reality. He thinks he got it rough but other's have gone through worse. He's just gotta suck it up. His little depressing attitude needs to end as well."

Naruto got up and left the kitchen. Naruto went outside to find Inari on the roof, looking towards the sea. Naruto jumped up to the roof and sat next to Inari. Naruto tried to look at Inari's story in a sympathetic way. Though a bit difficult to think that way, Naruto tried to be softer on the civilian.

"Look, Inari. I know having someone close to you die is a sad thing-"

"You don't know anything! What do you know about death! You're just a kid no older than me by 3 years! How would you know-"

Naruto's eyes turned ice cold again as his face went from empathetic to cold.

"I've been to war. I've seen countless people die in front of me, by my hand or by the hands of my enemy. My friends that I made bonds with during this war, were all killed. I know what it feels like to have people you cherish, die in front of you."

Inari started to tear up, but Naruto continued in a softer tone.

"It's tough to have nightmares every night, replaying the deaths of friends. But I told myself, would they have wanted to see me like this? Would they have wanted me to give up just because they couldn't continue?"

Naruto remembered some of the people he knew in the war. There was this boy, Umaru. Umaru was only a bit older than Naruto by 4 years. He was 14 at the time. Umaru had made friends with the Shinobi no Inari, offering him food during breaks, giving supplies. Umaru had the dream to become the Mizukage. Naruto had joked that he wanted to see him as Mizukage when he was Hokage. They were friends on the battlefield, showing teamwork that could take out a huge chunk of platoons in the enemy's forces. But on a certain mission, Umaru sacrificed his life for the life of the rest of the platoon. He went as bait and blew himself up and the enemy so that the rest of the platoon could escape. Naruto had nightmares of Umaru's last smile and last words._ I'll see you as a Kage someday, Namikaze Naruto. Meet me there!_

"My friend died, telling me his last few words before dying. I almost gave up on my dream when he died. I almost lost sight of what I was fighting for. But my friend wanted me to continue. I figured, he wouldn't want me to give on my dream. He would've wanted me to complete it. He died a hero, and his legacy was burned as a long living memory, etched into each of our minds as we fought the remaining enemy. I continued for him, and I moved on in memory of him."

Inari was sobbing and dove into Naruto's chest cried.

"H-he was my hero! He wasn't suppose to die! Kaiza wasn't suppose to die!"

Naruto smiled softly.

"I know, Inari. I know. They all weren't suppose to die."

Naruto looked up to the morning sky as he patted Inari on the back.

"That's why you gotta fight for their memory. Make sure that their beliefs didn't follow them to the grave. Your name is Inari. My name is Shinobi no Inari. You gotta live up to it if you're named after a god. Inari is awesome!"

Inari sniffed a bit and looked up as he saw Naruto smile a megawatt smile.

"Be brave, Inari! Don't forget what Kaiza lived for!"

"H-Hn!"

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Naruto had convinced Tazuna and all the builders to stay home today because of Zabuza. Naruto's team got ready at the bridge, looking sharp and attentive. The bridge started to get a bit foggy and Naruto got into a stance.

"Here they come"

Naruto yanked out his sword just in time as the huge executioner's blade swung full force at his face. Naruto deflected the sword and bounced back.

"Sharp as ever, Shinobi no Inari"

"Hello to you too, Zabuza-san"

"Let's make this fight interesting shall we?"

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an:/ I KNOW! DON'T KILL ME! I'm sorry I didn't include the fight! It's just gonna take a while considering not only do I want this fight really detailed and badass but I also have "peaceful mornings" to rewrite (which is being rewritten slowly but surely). I just needed to get the "waiting week" over with so we could get to the fight all in one chapter. The poll is still on so if you want Zabuza and Haku to live or not, please tell me! The question and options are in the previous chapter. Any jutsus, by the way, either have appeared earlier in the story and are recurring, or appear in the series as official jutsu. The new jutsu will appear next chapter in the totally badass fight. So wait patiently for it! By the way, didja notice the subtle narusaku thats starting to build up? May not be obvious now, but it's the little things that count. Alrighty then, see ya tomorrow and I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and if you don't live in America, then I hope you had a wonderful day!


	11. Chapter 11

an:/ oh la, A lot of you want Zabuza and Haku to die because it happened in the anime. Don't you want to see something different? Just kidding, I'm cool with it. Anyways, the polls are in. Although, I believe I calculated correctly, there may have been an error somewhere. But the winner is so clear, it overshadows any of the mistakes. The majority is in, and you'll just have to read to find out the results ^.^

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"Humor me, Zabuza."

"How so, Inari-boy"

"Why is it, that you're doing this? I mean, it's rather obvious, but I'd like to hear it from the man himself."

"The fun."

"I'm sorry? I don't quite understand. No money?"

"The fun of my opponents, realizing it's useless to fight. Their hopes crushed. Their motivation drained. The money is on the side. "

"I hate to disappoint you, Zabuza, but you won't be getting that reaction from me."

"We'll see about that. Now, Inari-boy, entertain me."

Zabuza slipped into a stance with his blade ready. Naruto flicked his blade and crouched to his own stance, the bell on his blade ringing through the fog. The fog got even thicker and the sight of Zabuza slipped from Naruto's vision. Naruto's eyes narrowed at where Zabuza previously resided, but the voice of his student brought him out of focus.

"N-naruto-sensei. We can't see anything. Where is the enemy?"

"Sakura! Take you and the others out of the fog. Keep your eyes peeled, his accomplice could be anywhere."

"Anywhere, he could be, indeed, Inari-boy. Do tell how you figured I have an accomplice?"

"The hunter nin didn't follow standard procedure."

"Tsk, I'll have to teach him how to pretend more. Though, normally people wouldn't notice that kind of detail unless they were a hunter nin themselves."

"I had my share of bounties to kill."

"You sure talk from experience. You talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"

Naruto barely had time to duck as the cleaver swung horizontally at him, aimed for his midsection. Naruto felt his hair get trimmed as he crouched low into one of his stances. As the blade drew back, Naruto sprang forward in the direction of the blade and jabbed forward. He felt his sword pierce something and as the fog cleared a bit from his face, he made eye contact with Zabuza. Naruto jumped back just as a blade swiped through Zabuza which distorted into water and splashed to the floor. When Naruto landed, he jumped back up when he felt the water on the floor start to move from under him.

"Keeping me on my feet, are we, Zabuza?"

"The fox is more agile than I thought. Most would have failed the first two moves. I guess I have to switch tactics"

Naruto's eyes darted around as he landed on dry grounds. The fog started to get heavier and his vision was practically deemed useless. Naruto closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. Naruto raised his sword up to deflect a blow, creating sparks where the two blades met.

"That's quite a sword, Inari-boy. Most would have snapped at the sheer weight of mine."

"Forged in the Lands of Iron and enforced by my chakra, it's only natural that it's one of a kind."

"Let's quit the chit chat shall we? I feel like we're just stalling here"

"I feel...the same."

Naruto unleashed a wave of chakra, pushing back the fog, revealing Zabuza, posed to strike. Naruto opened his eyes just in time to block the blade. As the two blades locked, Zabuza stared at Naruto's iced blue eyes. The stood there for a split second before Naruto flicked his wrist up, sending a pulse of chakra with it, launching Zabuza's sword up. Naruto went for the opening and gave a horizontal strike to Zabuza's chest. Zabuza once again turned into water and fell to the ground. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed.

"Is that really all the great Zabuza has? A set of sword skills and fog with a bit of water clones? I say this is child's play really. Why don't you show what you're really capable of, Momochi Zabuza."

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The three genin didn't have time to watch and listen to the fight of their sensei. As soon as they exited the fog, a new voice came from behind them.

"While my master is fighting, why don't we have our own fight? I'd hate to have my master's fight interrupted."

A boy, no older than them stood a few meters away. He wore a Kiri hunter nin mask like he did a week ago. His clothes were brown grey and green but it was all a blur as the three genin suddenly had to quickly dodge the volley of senbon coming at them.

_Douton- Doryuuheki_

Sakura slammed her hands on the floor and a wall protruded in front of the three genin. The three genin huffed a bit. Sakura looked up to her other two teammates

"We gotta work something out, see his strengths, weaknesses."

"But how?"

"I'm working on it, Konohamaru."

The hunter nin jumped over the wall and landed among the three genin.

"I can't let you three have breaks, can I?"

The boy unleashed a wheel kick, hitting Sasuke and Konohamaru in the process as Sakura quickly jumped back to avoid the kick. All three genin landed on their feet and crouched into a stance not too different from Naruto's. Konohamaru launched several kunai and shuriken at the offender. The boy launched senbon to counter each, all hitting Konohamaru's projectiles and knocking them to the floor. Sasuke jumped forward to engage the boy in a match of taijutsu. Sasuke punched the masked boy only to be blocked as raised his arm to block the offending punch. The boy wrapped his hand around Sasuke's wrist and pulled. As Sasuke moved forward, he flipped over and thrusted his foot towards the stomach. The boy raised his leg and blocked with his leg. The boy flipped over in the direction he was sending Sasuke, launching the Uchiha several feet away as he landed back on his feet. The boy quickly ducked as Sakura sent more projectiles towards the boy.

_The boy can dodge. He is extremely nimble and accurate. His taijutsu is really good. How on earth are we going to beat him?_ Sakura kept thinking as the boy slowly got up from his ducked position. Sasuke grunted and stood up as well, recovering from the throw. The boy quickly shot up as a fireball grazed his back.

_Katon- Goukakyuu no Jutsu_

Konohamaru then shot two more, one after the other as he followed his aim where the boy was. His last ball was interrupted as the boy mumbled a jutsu that created a wall of water in front of him. The steam of the two jutsu's colliding allowed the boy to get away from the onslaught of fireballs that Konohamaru quickly created after his last one dissipated.

"Shit, he got away. Sakura, any ideas?"

"None so far. He's got elemental jutsus that he's not using. He's not even going full out and we're having trouble keeping up. If this keeps up, we'll run out of energy before he even starts getting serious."

Sasuke frowned. He went back to fight the boy in a taijutsu match, this time trying a new stance. As the boy dodged a few shuriken that Sasuke threw, his chest came in full contact with Sasuke's leg. But Sasuke didn't stop there as he jumped up and delivered another kick in the same spot. He went for another kick but the boy grabbed it with one hand. With the other, he started to form hand seals.

One handed seals? I've never seen that before. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched the boy continue his hand seals while one hand was occupied with Sasuke's foot.

_Sensatsu Suishou_

Thousands of water senbons formed around Sasuke and Haku. The senbons were launched at Sasuke, all hitting their target. Sasuke grunted in a pain as the small senbon hit him, none near his vitals though. Haku pushed off of him and started a new set of hand seals while still in mid air.

_Makyou Houshou_

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"That's some jutsu your accomplice has. Kekkei Genkai?"

Naruto was able to sense the release of chakra near his genins. It was a mix between water and wind affinity manipulation.

"Correct. Ice manipulation. It's too bad for your genins."

"Why is that, Zabuza."

"No one has gotten out of this jutsu alive before. I highly doubt your little genin's could do much."

"You severely underestimate them."

"You severely underestimate me, then, if you think you could stall time just by talking."

Naruto was starting to breathe a bit hard because of how cold the bridge got. The ice manipulation the accomplice had was starting to change the temperature drastically. Naruto's rest was cut short when he heard Zabuza.

_Suiton- Daibakufu no jutsu_

Naruto's eyes widened as the fog cleared up to reveal a mass of water shooting towards Naruto.

_Katon- Jigoku no Keimusho mon no ban'nin no jutsu_

Naruto summoned a large temple gate in front of him with two large temple guardians. Both shot out fire from their mouths and burned out the water jutsu. Naruto whispered his next jutsu which rang out through the fog.

_Inari no Inori_

Jingles were heard as the sound of bells resonated through the bridge. The genin and the accomplice paused at the sound of the bell. The fog cleared out in one gust of wind, revealing the fight of the genin and Zabuza alone.

"Where are you, Inari-boy! Get out and face me, you coward!"

Another gust of wind blew through the open bridge. Naruto's voice rang out.

"Now, let me show you why my name is really _Shinobi no Inari_"

_Suiton- Nanatsu Suiko no jutsu_

Seven large foxes formed from the water puddles.

"Inari-boy! You've already shown me this jutsu, it doesn't do much-"

Zabuza was cut short when the foxes began to materialize into real foxes. Their fur was white and their eyes were piercing blue. A gust of wind swirled around them, causing a wall of rotating wind. As the wind dissipated, it revealed a large white fox with seven tails sweeping behind it. Naruto walked out from behind it, now dawning his usual fox mask that was supposedly destroyed in his earlier match.

"I have? I don't really remember that."

"T-the white fox? That was you?"

"Oh, so you saw this jutsu before?"

"On the civil wars of Kiri. The white fox that took out entire platoons. One of the main reasons the rebels lost the war."

"You've done your homework, Zabuza. _Gold star_. Now, where was I?"

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The genin looked at the white fox at the center of the bridge. Though it was hard to see considering their view was blocked by a wall of ice mirrors.

"Makyou Houshou. It's my_ kekkei genkai_. Sadly, since my master is having troubles with the white fox, I need to cut this match short."

"Don't kid with us! As if you could be us as fast as you think!"

"Konohamaru, don't be provoked!"

"Hn, loser. Keep sharp, there's something weird about these mirrors."

Sasuke's advice was responded by a mass of senbons that appeared behind him. The other two genin were also hit with senbons, all appearing from behind them.

"Urg- How is he hitting us from all behind when we are facing different directions?"

Konohamaru collapsed to his knees as another shower of senbon fell on him. Sakura dodged a few but was hit regardless. Sasuke's eyes darted around. He could see where the senbon were coming from. The boy was transporting mirrors at high speed. Though Sasuke could see each senbon, his body wouldn't move the speed his eyes could. Sasuke was hit as well as he saw the senbon coming straight at him.

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"It seems your little genin can't handle Haku."

"I don't think you should worry about Haku right now. I'll leave you to play with my friend over here. I won't be gone for long!"

Naruto flashed away as the fox charged at Zabuza. The claws of the fox sent sparks as it came in contact with Zabuza's blade.

"Damn that coward, running away to have me play with his pet."

_**"I am not a pet."**_

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Sasuke and Konohamaru struggled to stay standing. Sakura had already been knocked unconscious behind the wall she raised last minute for her teammates to take cover. The two other genin started to think of a plan as they deflected as many senbon as they could with a kunai.

"We don't have the speed to keep up."

"Hn. I can see them but I can't dodge them. It's frustrating."

Konohamaru noticed the sharingan in Sasuke's eyes.

"Sharingan? Lucky you."

"Uchiha remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Urg- we need to focu-"

Konohamaru was attacked with several senbon, successfully taking him out as well. As Konohamaru dropped to the floor, covered in spikes, Sasuke was left standing in front of the mirror Haku currently resided in.

"You can't keep up with my speeds. Nothing can beat me in terms of speed."

"Oh really? How are you so sure about that?"

Sasuke was surprised as he found Naruto flashed in front of him.

"You don't look so good Sasuke. Go to the other two and see if they're alright. Now, Haku, you were saying something about superior speeds. I'd like to test that out."

"_Shinobi no Inari_"

"Speaking."

"I heard your speeds were legendary. Let's go, shall we?"

"That's what I'm here for."

"Quick question though, if you're here, does that mean Zabuza-sama is dead?"

"No. Not yet. He's with my friend right now."

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"Now that's an interesting trick. The fox can talk."

_**"I wouldn't go far as to call it a trick. We're quite intelligent creatures and I take that to offense." **_

"Let's get on with this fight shall we?"

**_"My very thoughts."_**

The fox pounced, baring its razor sharp teeth. Zabuza blocked with his blade but one of the fox's tail whipped him away, sending Zabuza several feet to the side.

**_"That sword. I remember fighting you, Human. You were part of the Kiri wars, weren't you"_**

"You have good memory too, for a beast."

**_"I take that to offense as well, Human. I let you live last time in hopes that your potential would grow. But I guess my mercy was for naught." _**

"I don't need your mercy."

**_"Why do you fight, human?"_**

"For fun"

**_"No. That is not your real answer, is it, human."_**

"What do you know, beast."

**_"It's for the other human."_**

Zabuza's eyes darted to Haku before quickly going back to the fox.

**_"I let you live before because your purpose was noble. Now look at you."_**

"What purpose!"

_**"To protect your loved ones."**_

"I don't love anybody."

**_"You care for the other, don't you."_**

"He is a mere killing tool that I picked up for personal gains. Nothing mor-"

**_"You say that now, but when his life was endangered during the war, you almost gave up your life to protect him. Don't think you can lie to me, human"_**

Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

**_"My master is on his way to kill your precious other. If you do not show defeat, you risk losing him. Which is it, human. Defeat or Death"_**

Zabuza held a pain expression.

"Don't take me so lightly!"

Zabuza charged. The fox's stare softened and stepped aside as Zabuza slipped by the fox and charged towards the ice dome.

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The ice mirrors started to shatter as Haku was on one knee huffing. Naruto held his blade at Haku's neck.

"So the Shinobi no Inari lives up to his name and his father's. Your technique is indeed faster than mine."

"Please, I don't want to hurt you more than I need to. Surrender now and we can finish this without death. You can even apply as a konoha nin."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. I follow where Zabuza-sama goes. If he takes the road to the afterlife, then I shall too."

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Please-"

Naruto quickly stepped aside and drew his blade back as the executioner's blade fell where he stood before. Naruto did a quick glance at his fox which stood patiently. Naruto did a quick nod and smiled before facing his opponents again.

"I'll give you this proposition again. I don't want to end this with bloodshed if I can help it. Come with us to Konoha and I won't have to kill you."

"Zabuza-sama-"

Zabuza stood there, sword posed. He thought hard as he continued to stare down Naruto.

"Please, Zabuza, Haku. I don't want this to end in bloodshed."

Naruto pointed towards his genin.

"Though my genin are already seriously injured, I can still take both of you on. Come back to Konoha with us and we can do this a more peaceful way. I can even pay you the compensation for your work with Gato. I was able to, uh, 'loot' him while I made the assassination."

"It was you who assassinated Gato?"

"Yes. And I'm sure we can pay you full pay for your actions if you stand down and surrender. You can ally yourselves with Konoha. Please. I know you don't take the new Mizukage's views that easily. It's understandable from your background. But don't send Haku into a world of hate like the one of your past."

"Heh, what do you know, anyways. Konoha are light on the genin unlike Kiri. It's because of the bloody mist that we were feared around the world! Thanks to the new Mizukage, we are weak."

"But the Yondaime Mizukage didn't do anything about the bloodline purge. The people feared all the bloodlines and started the purge. But the Yondaime did nothing to stop it. He's the reason why Haku is where he his now! Can't you see he's done more bad than good. Please, I know you want Haku and yourself to live well. Konohagakure no Sato can give that to you. Haku can live without being hunted down by bloodlines. The Hokage and the new Mizukage can make sure of that."

"Can't you see how weak that is! Relying on others for protection? That's how weak Kiri has become? Now let's say I do join Konoha, which is unlikely since I'm in a bingo book with thousands of Konoha nin's head on my bounty, what are we going to do? Become civilians? Go under house arrest with chakra suppressors for the rest of our lives? I don't think so"

"I can pull of few strings to get you into the Konoha nin program. As ANBU you can go incognito. Haku is less known. It's not weak to rely on others for things you can't do. Without you, Haku couldn't have survived. Without Haku, in a sense, you wouldn't be where you are now. You rely on each other. Is that weak? No. It isn't. And it sure as hell isn't weak to rely on more people. I rely on lots and I'm still stronger than you. I'm not weak."

Zabuza paused, looking at the ground in deep thought.

"Damn Yellow Flash's son. You have connections don't you. So this is kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, isn't it. No other konoha nin can give it to me."

"Obviously since the choice here is accept or death. In death, there won't be another Konoha nin to give you this option. Consider yourself lucky."

"Inari-boy, you were more ruthless during the war. Now you're just acting like the damn fourth, always for peace over bloodshed even though he has the skill for violence."

Naruto chuckled a bit.

"Well, he is my father."

Zabuza lowered his blade a little, shifting out of his stance.

"Full pay right? And work for Konoha, I still need some more cash."

Naruto smirked.

"Obviously. And from what I heard, ANBU in Konoha get higher pay than the ones in Kiri"

"Oh really? I'm listening"

"I can also probably get Haku into the genin program as well, to continue his ninja career."

Zabuza smirked. He held out his hand.

"I guess this is a deal, Inari-kid."

Naruto carefully approached, stretching out his hand as well. Zabuza grabbed his hands. Naruto flinched, expecting an attack. Zabuza laughed and shook Naruto's hands and let go.

"It's a deal, kiddo. Ain't gonna become a backstabbing bitch, calm the hell down."

Naruto let out a breath.

"I'm glad, none of us had to die. Now, will excuse me. I have some injured genin to attend to."

Naruto walked away, leaving Zabuza and Haku alone. Zabuza reached over and left his hand out to help Haku up.

"I guess life will be better for you, Haku."

"For the both of us, Zabuza-sama."

"Yeah. For the both of us"

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"WHAT THE HELL NARUTO-YARO! YOU MADE FRIENDS WITH OUR FUCKING ENEMY? ARE YOU INSANE?"

"Sarutobi, calm the hell down."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Naruto flashed behind Konohamaru and chopped him in the head.

"Silence, twerp. Anyways, Let's finish this bridge and get a move on. It might take another week."

Tazuna stepped into the kitchen, which was now full of ninjas. Zabuza was leaning against the wall with his sword next to him. Haku stood next to him but close to the table, near Naruto. The other three genin sat in seats around Naruto. Inari sat next to Naruto, which he decided to call Naruto nii-san. Tsunami was at the sink busily cleaning dishes, indifferent towards the crowd. Tazuna coughed.

"Actually, Naruto, it won't be that long. Thanks to your vast amount of clones, our bridge is literally a day away from completing. Actually, you've done so much for this village, I'm not quite sure what I can do to repay you."

"That won't be necessary, Tazuna-san. It's our job as Konoha nin."

"No, I insist. I will find something to do in your honor. For now, you have my and the other villager's thanks."

Naruto scratched his head meekly. The three genin around him were pretty bummed out that they couldn't do anything during the fight. They needed to train more if one person could beat them.

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The next day, Naruto created hundreds of clones and helped the builders build the remaining part of the bridge. The villagers rejoiced when they heard Gato and his thugs were taken out. Naruto, Team 7, Zabuza and Haku left the village to return back to Konoha. After they all said their goodbyes, the villagers waved a last goodbye as the ninjas crossed the bridge and sprinted into the trees. When they were gone from sight, one of the villagers asked Tazuna

"Now what are we going to call the bridge?"

"Hmm. Now that's a good question. Why don't we name it after the very one who changed our lives?"

"Hm, that's sounds like an excellent idea, Tazuna-san!"

"The Great Naruto Bridge. It has a nice ring to it."

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an:/ So you all probably noticed that Naruto's bounty was way too low. I thought that was pretty bad so I updated the chapter along with upload this chapter. Anyways. Was the fight good enough? I figured the compromise part was a bit off. As you see, Option C won with a total of eleven votes. Option D only had seven votes, A had three, and B had two. Don't bother going to the reviews and saying "You counted wrong! Go back to Kindergarten!" because there are people who submitted their votes via PM. Personally I would have liked them both to die. It would've been easier to write since I was having trouble suddenly cutting the fight off so neither would die. But hey, I like a good challenge. Jutsu translations:

Doton- Doryuuheki (You know this one)  
Katon- Goukakyuu no Jutsu (You know this one)  
Sensatsu Suishou- Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death  
Makyou Houshou- Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals  
Suiton- Daibakufu no jutsu- Water style Great Waterfall Technique  
Katon- Jigoku no Keimusho mon no ban'nin - Fire style fire prison gate guardians  
Inari no Inori - Inari's prayer  
Suiton- Nanatsu Suiko no jutsu (You know this one)

I didn't quite elaborate on the already known jutsu (like Haku's and Zabuza's) because they were used in the series so I figured you would know what they were and did.

No poll this time, please review though! Reviews are helpful and motivational!

_


	12. Chapter 12

an:/ Sorry for the delayed chapter (it seems I'm well known for fast updates, too bad it doesn't apply to my other stories .) I just needed a break and I was kinda on a writers block. I couldn't think of what would happen next, but last night I got an idea so now, I'm gonna type ^.^. Now as for a reminder for my favorite reviewers (thank you all for your support): As much as I like people giving me_ constructive_ criticism, I do not enjoy people being a bitch about it. If you have something bad to share about my story (incorrect grammar, spelling, plot gaps, plot as a whole), I'd prefer if the comment isn't written in a rude way. Also, there are some questions that could be answered if you read the story _properly_. I sometimes write some pretty important information in the authors note that is practically imperative that you read. They're not even in the author's note, rather beneath it so you don't have to read my opinions. Maybe I'm just picking on a certain person right now. But hey, if being rude is how you want to play, I got one thing to tell you, it takes two to tango. On a completely different note, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! You guys give me lots of motivation to write new chapters. I love you all ^.^

clarification: Uchiha massacre did NOT happen. BUT Itachi still left Konoha, bringing dishonor to the name. You will learn later on in the story as to WHY Sasuke hates him so much. I can't tell you right now otherwise that would just spoil the whole damn thing.

Now on to my story:

(haha new scene splitters)

* * *

The way home was rather interesting as the six shinobi made their way to Konohagakure no Sato. Every once in awhile, a huge man with a gigantic cleaver would chase around a bunch of genin with a blond boy in the back, nonchalantly reading a small orange book as chaos ensued around him. At the moment, the group was jumping through the trees in an orderly fashion. (They didn't want to enter Konoha in complete disarray).

"Hey, Inari-boy"

"I told you already, quit calling me that. Not many people know my name in Konoha."

"It's a shame, your name hold a lot of power behind it. So much reputation held by a 12 year old."

"Is there something wrong with my age, Zabuza-san?"

"I'm surprised, that's all."

"Whatever. Now, I'm going to go over some protocol before we enter. Everyone, Halt."

Everyone jumped to a clearing and Naruto walked up to the group.

"Alright. At the moment, we are holding two very dangerous Nuke-nin. Though my name is not as notorious in Konoha, Zabuza's name is gonna bring the ANBU like moths to fire. Sadly, we can't have you two just nonchalantly walking behind us as we go to the Hokage."

"Are you saying we've got to go in as priso-"

"Just some chakra ropes. We'll take you through the less populated way. You know, to avoid confrontation with some, uh, haters."

"It's only temporary, right? I'm not walking into a trap. We made a deal!"

"Calm down, Zabuza. I'm not leading you into a trap. I'm just not too sure on the reactions of ANBU and some of the other Jonin..."

"Fine, but what about Haku."

"I guess he can come in, er, normally. I'm jounin so I have clearance to bring people past the gate without formal papers, I guess. Being Hokage's son also has perks."

Naruto hummed as he got out chakra binding ropes from his bag. He wrapped them around Zabuza's hands then made a hand seal. The chakra reacted and started glowing blue.

"It might make you a bit exhausted, but nothing the great Kirigakure no Kijin can't handle. I'll be taking your sword as well. You know, prisoner and bounty protocol."

Zabuza sighed heavily.

"It's not like I can argue, anymore. You binded my chakra."

Naruto chuckled a bit as he took the big Kubikiribocho and sealed it in a scroll.

"Okay, let's go!"

Naruto lead Zabuza to the gates, followed by the four genin (Haku's assumed rank to avoid attention). They took a formation and approached the gates. Two of the chuunin guards sat up from their lethargic lounging.

"Oi! Namikaze! You're back alrea- Is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah, we gotta go to the Hokage's tower immediately."

"Do you think that's wise, considering, well, you know, his reputation? I could get some ANBU for ya."

"That won't be necessary, I'll accompany Naruto."

The chuunin and Naruto looked up at the new voice and Naruto started smiling.

"Kakashi-sensei! Great! Well, you heard him, Kakashi will escort us. He's ex ANBU anyways."

"Naruto, how do you get that information? My ANBU affiliation shouldn't be that well known."

"Hokage's son, Baka Kakashi."

"Che, dumb blonde"

"Hey! I heard that!"

Everybody that was watching the exchange was, least to say, shocked at the exchange of words between an ex ANBU captain (sorry Kakashi, you're just too renown) and the Hokage's jounin son. Both a very dangerous pair to insult. Their shocked expressions were cut short when Naruto looked at the chuunins.

"Well, I hate to break the chit chat, but shouldn't we head to the Hokage tower already? Kotetsu, Izumo, I'll leave it to you for my papers."

"H-hai, Namikaze-san!"

"Maa maa, just Naruto is fine. I'll see you guys around, okay? Alright, Team 7! To the rooftops. I sense there is a road with less people two blocks away. Let's move! "

Naruto deactivated the chakra, but kept the ropes intact, so that Zabuza could jump the roofs with them. Kakashi followed from the rear, next to Naruto and Zabuza.

"So Zabuza, what brings you here to Konoha?"

Zabuza looked at the silver haired jounin.

"Well if it ain't the Copy Cat Ninja, Hatake Kakashi. I'm here to join you guys."

"Oh really? That's interesting"

"Is it now?"

"I never knew a former member of the seven swordsmen would join Konoha."

"Got a problem?"

"Actually quite the contrary. I heard lots about you when I was in ANBU. I have to say, some of your works were exemplary. Brilliant assassinations might I add."

"How did you know it was me?"

"Well first off, the blood you lef-"

"Kakashi-sensei, Zabuza-san. Please refrain from talking about assassinations and your exploits in ANBU. There are genin here!"

Kakashi and Zabuza looked at the four genin up front, all looking at Zabuza with interest.

"Che- you Konoha-dogs are too soft"

"Zip it, Zabuza-san. You'll be one soon, too."

That shut the swordsman up. Kakashi just whistled as if he had nothing to do with what just happened. The rest of the trip to the hokage's office was virtually bumpless. Although, Konohamaru decided it would be a great idea to stop midway to chase a cat. _Damn Tora, scratching the third hokage's grandson_. Naruto had to take out a second rope to prevent Konohamaru from "seeking revenge". With a quick, "leave the cat to the other genin, unless you want me to get you a mission to find Tora again." Konohamaru was instantly quiet. Other than that, the group didn't run into any hateful ninjas or civilians. Naruto thought it best to take the windows as their entrance.

"Yo, Tou-san!"

"Wah!"

Minato heard his son's voice and jumped from his seat, scrambling to scatter papers over what he was doing before.

"What were you doing,_ Tou-san_?"

"N-nothing!"

Naruto caught a glimpse of a bit of orange among the stack and cracked a huge grin.

"Reading _something_, Tou-san?"

"W-wha- You can't say anything to Kushina! If she finds out- oh god, I don't even want to know!"

Minato shivered but quickly stopped his antics when the rest of the group started to climb in through the window.

"Couldn't you guys take the door like any normal person would've?"

"Sorry, Tou-san. No can do. We got a special friend that we can't show the rest of the world."

Minato looked up and saw two new figures.

"Momochi Zabuza?"

"Hn."

Minato turned to Haku.

"And you..."

"Yuki Haku" (1)

"Well this sure is a pleasant surprise. Naruto. Mind telling me why an A-ranked Nuke-nin and a, well I guess a friend of Momochi, are in Konoha? More specifically, in the Hokage's office?"

"They want to be Konoha ninjas."

Minato eyes widened a little before going back to his straight face. Minato went into deep thoughts as the group started to shift. Was the yondaime going to accept? Zabuza broke the silence.

"Please, Yondaime Hokage. If you're not going to take me in, at least take in Haku. He has less of a record then I do. He can live by himself and survive. Hell, you won't even need to make accommodations for him. He's in danger from the Kekkei Genkai Purge so his parents are dead. I can sign papers for him living on his own-"

"That won't be necessary."

Zabuza shocked himself when he had cringed back from what the Hokage said._ They weren't going to accept Haku at the least?_

"It won't be necessary because you can be here too."

There was a long silence after what Minato said. Minato still had a smile on his face as he rested his head on his elbow. Zabuza looked down before bowing.

"Thank you so much, Yondaime Hokage-sama"

"Maa, no need for the formalities. Now, where are we going to put Kirigakure no Kijin?"

"Tou-san, I was thinking of giving him ANBU. No one will know it's him, well, except the sword. And it has good pay to support him and Haku."

"Hmm, you thought this through didn't you, Naruto. ANBU are in high risk of death. Him taking care of Haku at the time may be a bit, well you know."

"With all respect, Hokage-sama, I don't die easily."

Minato chuckled.

"I guess so. Then what shall we do with Haku-kun, here?"

Naruto spoke up again.

"He's got a kekkei genkai, very adept with it too. But I'm afraid the council will put him through the Kekkei Genkai and Clan Revival Act. Maybe not ANBU, but preferably a Tokubetsu in some department. We'll get him som-"

"I-I want to teach!"

Everyone looked at Haku in shock. His little outburst caused him to shrink back a little as he saw all the stares he got.

"I-I would like to become an academy teacher, please. I'm good with kids."

Konohamaru started laughing.

"And here I thought expressionless people couldn't love kids!"

Sakura whacked Konohamaru across the head which was followed by Naruto's own whack to Konohamaru's head. Minato looked at Haku and smiled.

"I'm sure we can arrange something. What level are you?"

Naruto cut in.

"I'd say he's around high-chuunin. I fought him myself, so I can vouch for it. He's more than qualified to teach."

Minato couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, this is gonna take a lot of paperwork."

Minato snapped his fingers and an ANBU flashed to his side.

"Get me my secretary."

"Hai"

A few moments later, a woman with came in.

"Hokage-sama, you called?"

"Ah yes, Sayuri. Could you get me two citizenship forms, one anbu promotion form, one chuunin promotion form..."

Minato droned on with the list of papers he needed. Konohamaru practically dropped to the floor in boredom. Kakashi leaned against a wall, reading his orange book. Sasuke stood quietly next to Kakashi. Sakura dragged Konohamaru next to Kakashi and Sasuke. Naruto waited patiently at the center next to Zabuza and Haku, one who was now free of ropes. Minato finished his list and Sayuri rushed out of the room, chanting the list under her breath. Minato chuckled, grabbing everyone's attention.

"What to do now. We have two new powerful allies. Today has been interesting. I also presume that Team 7's mission went well? I'll be expecting a mission report tomorrow Naruto. By the way, Kakashi, why are you here?"

"ANBU escorting. These guys didn't want real ANBU so I stepped in."

"I see. Well, no matter. Team 7, I'll give you a week's worth of break."

Konohamaru jumped in joy. Sakura was shocked at her teammate's actions considering he was practically a zombie two seconds ago. Sasuke smirked before heading to the door. Naruto's voice brought the three genin back.

"I'll still be expecting you three at Training grounds seven at eight o'clock, A.M. Come to think of it, do you guys want to go for a celebratory dinner? First c-rank completion?"

The groans of the genin stopped short when they heard "celebratory dinner". Konohamaru started jumping again and whooping at the top of his lungs, only to be whacked again by Sakura. Sasuke returned back to his fellow teammates. Kakashi stared at the group and inwardly smiled. His genin group never got to have their first c-rank completion celebratory dinner. His own student was beating him at being a teacher. So it was true when they say that the next generation will succeed and go beyond the previous generations. Naruto caught Kakashi's nostalgic looking expression and smiled.

"Kakashi, do you want to join us?"

Kakashi snapped his head back up and looked at the twelve year old.

"Sure. Do you want to invite the rest of Team 7?"

"Sure! Sounds like a great idea!"

Naruto turned to Zabuza and Haku but Minato interrupted him

"As great as it is to invite the new rookies, They have lots of paperwork to sign."

As if on queue, Sayuri entered with a foot-tall stack of papers.

"The forms, Hokage-sama"

Zabuza paled as Haku nervously chuckled. Minato gave an innocent but mischievous smile and turned to the rest of the group.

"Well, run along. You'll be here till morning if you wait for these two."

The whole group sweatdropped. Was the Hokage ever this sadistic before?

* * *

Rei wheeled Reno in to the barbeque restaurant, Yakiniku Q. The two generations of Team 7 gathered at the entrance and waited for a table. The group was waiting a while until they heard a yell from down the street. Kakashi paled.

"Kids, get inside the restaurant NOW!"

But it was too late. Their actions were caught off when there was a yell from behind them. They turned around. They all cringed back when they saw a man in a full body green spandex suit. If that didn't give the "Holy shit, this guy is insane" sign, then his bowl cut hair and outrageously demonic eyebrows were sure to make it clear in neon lights. Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"Are those things above his eyes alive?"

Reno let out a chuckle as Rei nudged them both to shut up.

"WELL! If it isn't my youthful rival, Kakashi and his students! I am Maito Guy, Konoha's Green Beast! I see you are all celebrating in the springtime of youth! Quite splendid!"

"Oh kami save us all."

Naruto mumbled under his breath. Somehow the rest of Team 7 heard him and started to breathe out a dry chuckle. The group started to back away into the restaurant when suddenly something flashed next to the abominable green creep.

"GAI-SENSEI! I HAVE FINISHED THE 1000TH PUSH UP!"

"EXCELLENT MY DEAR PUPIL! BUT IT IS UNFORTUNATE SINCE I HAVE NOW DONE 1050 PUSH UPS! YOU NEED TO WORK HARDER!"

"YES GAI-SENSEI! I WILL TAKE ALL YOUR WORDS TO HEART IN THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!"

Next to Gai, there was another green creep that dress and looked just like him. He was vivaciously taking notes on a notepad he procured out of nowhere.

"Holy shit, is this some sort of contagious disease? Is there a vaccine?"

Naruto mumbled again, backing away. Rei whacked him on the head (to the other genins' dismay). She clenched her teeth and hissed.

_"Shut it, Naruto. Show some respect_!"

The two green clad weirdos started screaming something about the springtime of youth. Next they know, the two were hugging with some sort of genjutsu that put them in front of a sunset with waves crashing on a cliffside. Everyone was now screaming "Kai!" to get out of the genjutsu that sadly, not even the Genjutsu mistress, Kurenai, could get out of. It was useless as the shinobi started to shield their eyes from the horror.

Naruto shrank away.

_This was going to be a long night._

* * *

(1) Haku is part of the Yuki clan (looked it up) so I figured I'd give him a last name)

an:/ Think of this chapter as kind of a filler. Let's just say, this story is gonna be a long one...Good thing I update fast! :D As for the Narusaku. I've realized that it is gonna take a while so...be patient, 'kay? I don't have much to say. So uh, See ya'll later?


	13. Chapter 13

an:/ another slow update? You got it! Sorry, but life is getting a bit more hectic. Teachers are bustling about, giving enough homework to fill up a pool. I swear, everytime I get home, I'll have a stack of homework. It's actually a miracle I was able to update so fast for the previous chapters. Let's hope that the miracle magic doesn't run out just yet. Alright.  
Review responses?

saltine cracker-Naruto and Rei hook up? Sorry but I can't let Naruto do that, and I guess you'll find out as to why later. It's gonna be strictly a progressive Narusaku.

The Keeper of Worlds - Holy crap, that genjutsu is definitely a freaking Kinjutsu, right next to Edo tensei XD Freaky stuff.

foggraven- Yup, but later, when lee get's more acquainted with Naruto.

-

_Crack._

Naruto flexed his back as he arched over the back of the Ichiraku bar stool. He turned to Reno and Kakashi on his right.

"Gee, fighting the stupid swordsman got me up in knots. He swings pretty fast even with the damn monumental sword"

"Maa, he is taller and more buff than you, Naru-shit, or should I say, chibi-Naru"

Naruto flashed a glare at Reno who laughed it off and Kakashi chuckled at the side. Teuchi brought over their orders, handing Reno and Naruto five bowls each. Naruto and Reno dug in while Kakashi speedily and silently finished his bowl. Naruto and Reno's inhaling of ramen was halted when they heard Kakashi put down his chopsticks.

"How the hell does he do that? It's like we'll never see what's under that damn mask. Even I couldn't hold out my mask for that long"

"Maa, Naruto, this face mask doesn't crack under anything since it's cloth. Your mask wasn't standard ANBU either so it's a lot more fragile. Besides, you're a thousand years too early to beat me at hiding identities."

"Che- Reno was right, you are a baka, Kakashi."

"Whoa! Naru-shit agrees with me? It must be the apocalypse...again!"

Naruto promptly whacked Reno across the head. Kakashi turned to Naruto again.

"So Naruto, I am aware that you've completed your first c rank. As great as that is, what are you going to do about the chuunin exams?"

Naruto froze in place, ramen hanging from his mouth. He paused a moment and ate the rest of his soup before turning back to Kakashi.

"I'm not too sure my genin are ready. I personally have never taken the test and from what I've heard, they are a pain in the neck."

"Ha, tell me about it, Naruto. Your dad has required all the Jounin to 'help' with the preparation process. Lately, I've been swamped with paperwork for this damn test."

"Not to mention, when you were gone, Rei-chan took the test. She kept complaining how it was really difficult. They even had a written test! I would've failed that for sure!"

Naruto and Kakashi chuckled a bit and Reno joined in. But, Kakashi stopped first and changed to a more serious demeanor.

"Unfortunately, I'm not too sure your opinions on the team's skill will matter. Uchiha Fugaku will do everything in his power to get his son to rise in ranks. He wants to nurture the next, you know,_ Itachi_. And when I say everything in his power, I mean as clan head, ninja council member, Jounin, and war veteran. He could probably bribe his teammate's family to take the test with his son to fulfill the three participant requirement."

"As true as that is, I'm one hundred percent sure that the Sarutobi accepts no bribes. Their pride and will of the fire runs too strong to stoop so low. As for the Harunos. They don't have much reputation considering they are only a civilian family, but I assure you, Sakura's intelligence will help her realize what is going on. I'll ask my team anyways. I have lots of power too. I'm practically the heir of two prominent clans, the Hokage's son, a jounin, a war veteran, and a_ host_"

Kakashi flinched at Naruto's last title. Reno narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean you're a host, Naruto?"

"I'm-"

"-That's classified information, Naruto."

Reno looked even more suspicious and confused. Naruto had classified information and from Kakashi's reaction, it's pretty serious.

"-Fine. I won't ask but, Naruto, if it's really that serious to be classified information, maybe you shouldn't flaunt it out in a public place."

Naruto looked back at his empty bowl and sighed. He gave a dry chuckle.

"Well well well, the deadlast finally grew a brain, at last"

"Hey shut it, Naru-shit!"

"Make me, Loser!"

"I may not have both arms but I've been studying one handed seals, and I can still bend chakra!"

"Come at me with your best shot, loser!"

The bickering continued as Kakashi sweatdropped and pulled out his orange book. The bickering became a full out fight as Naruto grabbed Reno and Kakashi and flashed to a training ground to go all out. Kakashi sweatdropped for the umpteenth time as he watched the two fight.

_Same as ever._

-

"Na, Sakura-chan. Do you think Sensei-yaro will ever come on time?"

"Hn, Shut up, Loser."

"I wasn't talking to you, asshole!"

"guys, please calm down. I think sensei will be here any minute. Usually he's only-"

"-15 minutes late and on the dot. I'm here guys."

"ABOUT DAMN TIME NARU-YARO!"

Naruto walked over and whacked Konohamaru to the ground.

"Watch who you're talking to, Saru. Regardless, there is an actual reason as to why I am late. We had a jounin meeting. I have these forms to give out to you."

Naruto handed out papers to his three genin. Konohamaru looked up.

"Chuunin exams?"

"Correct, Konohamaru. I hope you make the right decisions pertaining to the test. Though I have not personally taken the test, from what I heard, it is really dangerous. So I warn you, if you do not feel prepared for this, do not rush to it. I can train you for another year before the next chuunin exams. Please think this through."

"Hn. I don't need to think it through, you know my answer. Where and when."

"You've got seven months to prepare. During that time, I will be making training doubled. I assure you, part of the test is teamwork."

Naruto gave Sasuke a pointed look only to be responded with a huff. Sasuke looked away from his sensei's stare.

"On the note of training, I think it's about time each of you choose a specialty and start training it. Also, in the next seven months, I may not be able to be there to train you. I'll be put on missions that only involve jounins. You three won't be going on any difficult missions anytime soon."

"What? Back to d ranks?"

"Sorry, Konohamaru, but I can't have anymore dangerous situations before the chuunin test. The test itself is pretty dangerous. Shinobi from other villages will be there. You will run into some friendlies and some...not so friendlies. But enough advice for now, I'll give you more on the day of the test itself."

"Alright, Naruto-sensei. So, what are we going to do today?"

"Finding elemental affinities and your next specialty"

"Elemental affinity?"

"I will explain after. First, take a sheet."

Naruto reached to his back pouch and pulled out a stack of blank card sized paper. He handed each genin a sheet. He held out one of his own.

"Alright. What are 'elemental affinities'? To sum it up, it's like a more complex molding of chakra. You're taking your normal chakra and converting it into something that resembles an element. In this case, there are five possible elements that you can get, Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Lighting. As genin, you should only have one. As jounin, we can have either two and three if we're seasoned jounins. Elemental affinities are the 'releases' you use for jutsu. For example, Sasuke's Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu. This is an example of a fire release."

"Wait, Naru-yaro. Can't anyone use that jutsu? Why would we need to know elemental affinities when we can use whatever jutsu we want, regardless of affinity?"

"While anyone can use this jutsu, someone with the elemental affinity of fire will have an even stronger jutsu than one that has a different affinity."

"So any jutsu that coincides with our affinity will be stronger?"

"Correct, Sakura. Not to mention some people have affinities that combine. This is a version of a Kekkei genkai. You know Haku? His kekkei genkai is the mix between water and wind. This creates ice."

"Hn, Naruto-sensei. I'm sure that there are lots of jounin that have water and wind affinities. How come they don't have the kekkei genkai?"

"Good question, Sasuke. The answer to that, in simpler terms, is that only Haku's body is compatible with mixing the two affinities. If you don't have the body that's compatible with the mix of affinities, you could well blow yourself up. If mixing was possible for anyone, everyone could have kekkei genkai and it wouldn't be as feared. Then again, Kekkei genkai aren't always a mix of affinities. As you can see, Sasuke's eyes are an example of Kekkei genkai called a doujutsu. A very powerful one at that"

Sasuke instinctively crossed his arms and puffed his chest out, blushing at the compliment.

"I, too, have a kekkei genkai that isn't based off of affinities or doujutsus."

"You do, Sensei?"

"It's not as well known since only two people in the world have it. Me and the Hokage."

"What is it, Sensei?"

"It the Hiraishin no jutsu"

"But, sensei, I thought that was a fuuinjutsu?"

"Yes, it does involve the seal, but that's only an amplifier to make teleportation easier. I don't necessarily need a seal-"

With that Naruto flashed several feet from them, paused, then flashed back in front of them.

"-but it takes longer than usual. The reason why people can't copy the jutsu, even after looking into the seal, is because only Namikaze blood can teleport like this."

"That's unfair, ain't it, Naru-yaro?"

"Hey, why are you complaining to me? A lot of other people have special kekkei genkai, not just me."

"Yeah, but, teleportation is just badass! And have you seen how you and the Yondaime uses it in battle? Just pure awesomeness!"

"Uh, thanks? Anyways. Enough with the chit chat, we gotta find you're elemental affinities first, before we get to the fun! Alright, all you gotta do is pump chakra into the sheet."

Naruto held out his sheet and pumped chakra. His paper cut in half, one side sogging up while the other side burned up and crumbled to ashes.

"Whoa! Sensei, you have three!"

"I-I guess that's because I'm a_ jounin_."

Truth be told, Naruto was surprised himself. Last time he checked, he only had wind and water. I guess all the training with Jiraiya got him a third affinity.

"Alright, you three, check yours."

Sakura's paper crumbled into dirt. Konohamaru's lit up in flames and crumbled to ashes (right after Konohamaru yelped and let go of the paper). Sasuke's lit up in flames as well but not before the paper crumpled slightly, signifying a lightning release developing.

"Great! I've practically taught you guys a jutsu that matches your affinities! Sasuke, we'll work on developing that second affinity of yours. It's expected that Sarutobi got a fire affinity. As for you Sakura, while I've got some earth jutsus, I can contact a friend that has an affinity like yours to help you. Alright, now that that's out of the way, go to the trees and collect a bunch of leaves and come back."

The three genin leapt to the trees to collect leaves. Once the genin were out of sight, Naruto formed a bunshin.

"You know what to do."

"On it, boss"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx

The bunshin knocked on the door of the apartment several times. When the door opened, Reno limped out on crutches.

"Reno? What are you doing at Rei's?"

"U-uh N-Naruto?! A-ah, n-nothing."

Naruto's eyes narrowed but widened when Rei walked in the living room only in a shirt.

"Reno-kun, who is it- N-Naruto?"

"Well, now. Clearly, I've interrupted something, I should go."

While Reno can't walk that well, that apparently doesn't mean he is immobile, if you catch my drift. Naruto turned to leave.

"U-uh, it's fine Naruto, lemme get dressed."

Rei turned back into the halls, leaving a tomato red Reno and practically unfazed Naruto. Reading those orange books made Naruto used to these situations, in a sense.

"I see you finally got the girl, Reno."

"Shut it, Naru-shit. Don't make this any awkward than it already is."

"So when did it start? Are you two, like, 'together' together or just fuck buddies"

If looks could kill, Naruto would've died in about a thousand ways by now. Reno glared furiously at Naruto.

"Shut the hell up, Namikaze"

Naruto shrugged with a smirk. Rei rushed back out in her normal outfit.

"Alright, Naruto. Whadda need me for?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help my student with earth affinity. But, I mean, if you've got more important personal matters to attend to, I can always come back later, that is, unless you have more personal matters to attend to again."

Naruto chuckled again as he looked at both teammates in front of him, both so red, steam was coming out.

"N-no, that's fine. I-I can help. R-Reno, you can get back with your crutches right?"

"Y-yeah."

"A-alright, Naruto, lead the way."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The genin all gathered piles of leaves and sat by them. Naruto went over the next procedure.

"Alright, what you want to do is pump your chakra into the leaf and try to make it do what your paper did. Note, this won't be as easy because the paper is a special chakra conductor, making it easier to pump chakra into. The leaf however, has it's own nature chakra in it, you will encounter resistance. Sakura, your leaf should crumble to dirt as well. Sasuke, yours could light in flames or crumple. Try to get a feel for making the leaves crumple instead of catching aflame. Konohamaru, your leaf should just ignite into flames. Let me give you an example. My affinity is wind, so I'll make it cut in half."

Naruto grabbed a leaf, placed it between his palms, and cut the leaf cleanly in half. After doing this so many times with Jiraiya, it was practically like a breeze.

"Because I have three, I have to be able to control which affinity I use. So, I can make sure that only one affinity appears on the leaf. Here I was able to suppress the other two affinities. I also isolate the other two."

Naruto took to more leaves and held them out in each of his hands. One quickly lit up in flames while the other got drenched in water. Naruto had never done this before so he inwardly let out a sigh as his gamble worked and the two affinities worked. It was really difficult to display two affinities at the same time. Naruto figured he'd have to train with the genin if he wanted better control over his new found fire affinity. He'll have to talk to his dad about it too.

"Alright, get going! If my guess is right, since you are all exceptional, this should take only a few months!"

"What? We don't have time! How long did it take you?"

"A week."

"WHAT? How did you do it?"

"Kage- actually it's a secret."

"Come on, Naru-yaro! Tell us! We don't have much time before the chuunin exams!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He could cut the time in half if he taught them a kage bunshin jutsu but they could over exert it and make more than one bunshin, exhausting themselves. He contemplated the consequences and decided the pros outweighed the cons.

"Alright. But here's the catch, I have more chakra than Kage. I can make a lot more clones than you all combined and not feel winded. But you three as genin, have really small reserves and so this for this bunshin, you can only make two. Promise me you will only make two because anymore can but a large strain on yourself. Note it's also an A-rank kinjutsu, which is why it's really dangerous and I'm reluctant to teach it."

The three genin paused. A kinjutsu? All three nodded carefully.

"Alright, watch carefully. These are the hand seals. If you get really good at it, you can changed the seal to only one, then to none."

Naruto flashed through the hand seals, letting the genin copy what he was doing. All four said in unison.

Kage Bunshin no jutsu!

Sakura got one bunshin while Konohamaru and Sasuke got two. Naruto produced one.

"Sensei-yaro! Didn't you say you could make more? How come we have more than you?"

"That's because I can control how many I make. Alright, originals stay here, clones, follow mine."

The mass of clones went to the woods, leaving the originals in place.

"Why did you do that, sensei?"

"you'll find out~"

With that, all three genin went wide eyed in shock and fear. They snapped their heads up and looked at their sensei.

"S-sensei!"

"Relax guys, it was genjutsu. When a clone is put under genjutsu, they usually dispel if they're not trained enough. Now anyone care to tell me what happened?"

"Hn. You told us you'd treat us to lunch if we got the clone exercise down. Then you summoned a katana and charged at us, right before you placed a genjutsu on us."

Sasuke placed his hand on his torso. It was ghost pains. Naruto smiled.

"Sasuke, what are you feeling right now?"

"Pain that isn't there. It was where you-"

"It's where I stabbed your bunshin. It's the experience of the bunshin. Care to explain why this is so important?"

Sakura paused for a second before realizing what it was.

"The experiences can help us train!"

"Correct, Sakura. How so?"

"The bunshin can do the same experience as us, the more people that work on the exercise, the higher chance of success. And if one bunshin find the trick to the exercise, it can disperse, giving you the memories."

"Correct again, Sakura. Good job. It's just as she says. You will be using bunshin to cut your training time short. One bunshin can cut it in half, two in thirds, three in fourths, so on and so forth. The reason I was able to get it in a few days, is because I could make a hundred without feeling winded. Are you all starting to feel a bit exhausted? You should. It's only natural since this is your first time. Since your bunshins are all gone, try summoning only one."

The genin all summoned one, though Konohamaru summoned two.

"Sorry Naru-yaro. I don't have enough control."

"That's fine, it seems you have rather large reserves yourself. I was kinda like you. You should see my normal bunshin, it puts my rank to shame."

The genin's head snapped up at that.

"What? What's wrong with your bunshin?"

"Well, since I have too much chakra to control and the normal bunshin require really small amounts of chakra. I would've never graduated had it not been for the kage bunshin."

"Naruto? What are you doing, teaching genin a kinjutsu?"

Naruto turned around to see Rei walking side by side with Naruto's clone.

"A-ah, just helping with training?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head meekly as Rei let off some killer intent. She went into motherly medic nin mode.

"You know they're not prodigies like you! Kage bunshin puts a lot of stress on the user. They could hurt themselves! Mentally exhaust themselves! Think about what you just did!"

"Uh, Rei-san? We've already got the jutsu down."

Rei looked up to see Sakura.

"Oh? You've got the kage bunshin down?"

"Well, Sakura-san, how's Naruto treating you? Is he teaching you well?"

Sakura blushed and looked away. Rei narrowed her eyes then looked at Naruto who looked confused. She realized what was going on and walked over to Naruto and whacked him across the head.

"Hell, What was that for?"

"You deserve it! Now, I'm going to take Sakura-san and help her!"

The boys watched as Rei took Sakura, more like dragged, to a different training ground.

"Alright then, now that's settled, let's get to training!"

Naruto cracked his knuckled and gave the genin a grin.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OMAKE:

After training, Team 7 left to Ichiraku to eat dinner. Naruto left to file in some mission reports and chuunin preparations, but he still handed Team 7 some cash to buy themselves some dinner. _Enjoy yourselves, bond as a team!_ He said as he walked away waving. Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. Today, Naruto thought a good training exercise for team bonding would be to tell your teammates your weakness. Like hell he would! Sakura was exposed to spiders and bugs. Konohamaru was trapped in a box with no room. When he said he was claustrophobic, he meant in crowds, but Naruto had now exposed a new weakness of extremely confined spaces. _Next time he puts me in that hellish jutsu, I'll kill him!_ It was a freaking interrogation technique! What the hell was he doing, giving genin a high level interrogation technique?

What was even more infuriating was that Sasuke's weakness wasn't really much of a weakness. Sasuke just felt uncomfortable around fangirls. Naruto had brought along (grudgingly) His fangirls and Sasuke's fangirls and made them crowd around Sasuke. Sasuke got really shy and embarrassed. Konohamaru laughed his ass off until Naru-shit did that stupid interrogation jutsu on him!

All in all, this entire training's purpose was to scare the shit out of the genin. I bet he's even laughing right now!

Back at the Namikaze residence, Naruto stopped laughing with his dad as he sneezed.

Konohamaru looked at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke still looked a bit uncomfortable and Sakura was trying to reason with Sasuke. Konohamaru growled. He needed revenge.

"Hey guys, Do you think Naru-yaro has a weakness?"

"Hn. I wonder."

"Guys, I don't think-"

"Sasuke, let's find out if he has one! I bet he does!"

"Hn, bugs? Spiders?"

Sakura shook her head.

"He isn't scared of them. He squashed all of them and even brushed some off his shoulders like it was nothing. He's not scared of bugs or spiders."

"Snakes?"

Konohamaru shuddered.

"He trains with that Mitarashi Anko, the snake lady. She's insane. And the way she trains with snakes._ Shudder_. He's definitely not scared of snakes."

"Hn. Sakura, you were in a class with him. What do you think?"

Sakura put her hand on her chin and furrowed her brows.

"Do you think a fear can be a person?"

"..."

"…"

"N-"

"Guys! Quick, hide me!"

Team 7 whipped their heads around and saw their sensei huffing, hands on his knees.

"Sensei?"

"Somewhere! Hide me right now! Oh No! It's too late! If anyone asks, you haven't seen me!"

Naruto quickly jumped into a trashcan next to the group.

"Huh?"

A few moments later, a woman with red hair walked around the corner and walked up to them. Team 7 was slightly scared because she carried a cleaver in her hand.

"You guys are Naruto's team right? Have you seen him?"

Team 7 remembered their sensei's request and shook their heads vehemently. Kushina looked at the trashcan. She smirked. She pulled on the sweetest smile and with a sickly sweet voice she said.

"That's too bad, I'm looking for my son. If you've seen him, tell him if he doesn't come back home in the next 30 seconds, I will_ personally castrate him_"

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't suppress a sneeze, letting a small sound come out of the trashcan. Kushina's malicious intent peaked sending a shiver down the three genin's spines.

"Ku-kukukuku, Naruto-kun. Mi-tsu-ke-ta~!" (an:/ I found you)

Inside the trashcan, Naruto flinched and started panicking, but it was too late. Kushina raised a fist and smashed the trashcan to the floor, leaving a crater and an unidentifiable hunk of metal int its place. Naruto managed to flashed out just in time, but not far enough. Kushina quickly grabbed the scruff of Naruto's collar and dragged him away. Naruto flailed at the grip reaching for help from his students, all in vain.

"Silly boy, you didn't think you could hide your little icha icha series from your mother, did ja? Jiraiya will hear from me. All of you damn perverts, dattebane!"

Out somewhere in Kumo, a white haired sage sneezed.

The three genin were still shocked in place at the exchanged that just occurred in front of them. Their jounin sensei was panicking and then practically kidnapped! What the hell just happened!

Sasuke emptily broke the silence, eyes still wide open.

"I think that answers our question. Naruto-sensei is scared of his mom. A valid fear at that."

The two other genin nodded fervently, shaking in their places.

A valid fear indeed.

an:/ I decided to give you all an omake for fun. This chapter was rather short but since the dialogue is heavy with explanations, I figured it would suffice. Now we learn the elemental affinities of the genin, Rei and Reno are...together? Lol. You won't hear much from them since they aren't too important. Now, I made Hiraishin a kekkei genkai SO DON'T FLIP OUT and be all like "Its just a time-space ninjutsu! Not a kekkei genkai! I saw the wikia page" I geddit! But I wanted it so that only Namikaze can do the teleportation crap. Alright, tune in next time for more on training! Maybe some slight narusaku encounters next chapter? Maybe? Alright. See ya!


	14. Chapter 14

an:/ alright. I had to remove someone's review because they thought that because I said Naruto was "strong/smart" in my summary, that I should "go fuck [myself]". Well, as attractive as I am, I'm just not into that stuff. Just kidding. But seriously. When I mean strong/smart, I mean prodigy like. Sure the Naruto in the series is actually freaking badass right now and he's more intelligent than meets the eye. But mind you, he wasn't a jounin at 12 so shut your trap. Geez, I don't see the same comments on all the other "smart/strong" Naruto fanfics, cut me some slack will ya? Anyways, as for the other comments, you guys are awesome. I love you all! Motivation skyrockets every time. Alright, let's get to the Narusaku, amiright?

* * *

Rei took Sakura to training grounds 15. There was a pond next to a large open field of grass. Sakura took her time to look around. There was a huge wall around along with a table at the center. There was a shed towards the front and another one near the pond. Rei went inside a shed and pulled out a large body scroll (1). Rei motioned to Sakura to follow her. They reached the center of the field and Rei slung the scroll over her back.

"Alright, Sakura-chan, I got a quick briefing from Naruto's clone that your affinity is earth and you're interested in being a medic ninja. Well, You're in luck because I'm both. I was trained by none other than Nohara Rin. Amazing right?"

Sakura looked in awe. Nohara Rin was renown in the medical world. She was trained by Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and trained by Senju Tsunade, the Sannin. Her medical skills were legendary, second to her teacher, Tsunade-sama.

"Though, I'm not as good as Rin-sensei, I've got some knowledge that can help you. My medic skills are around chuunin level, high enough for you until the chuunin exams. Alright. But first, we gotta get that affinity down. It's funny because only a small amount of medic nin have earth affinities, usually they have water. But hey, Tsunade and Rin have earth affinities so that must count for something."

Sakura nodded, eager to learn.

"Now, the trick to the leaf exercise is to feel as if the leaf is as hard as rock. Pump in your chakra and think of that feeling."

Sakura grabbed a leaf and started pumping.

"It's okay if you do the bunshin, I guess."

Sakura looked up.

"H-hai, Rei-sensei"

"Haha, it's so weird to have the prefix at the end. It's gonna be hard to get use to it."

Rei chuckled as Sakura blushed a little. Sakura made a shadow clone and had both start the leaves. Rei watched Sakura.

"So, Sakura, tell me about yourself. How were you in academy? Do you have any dreams?"

"I was okay in academy, I was in the same strategic class as Naruto-sensei. But I was in the normal classes for other subjects-"

"Whoa! Grade 5 strategic class for a 1st grader? Amazing! Why hasn't Naruto told me that he had a genius on his team? Oh wait, because he's one himself...He's seen it all. Damn genius"

"Maa, I'm not that smart. Naruto-sensei made the best strategies in class."

"Speaking of Naruto-_sensei_, do you like him?"

Sakura froze and turned bright red, sending a spark of chakra into the leaf, making it instantly crumble into dirt. The bunshin next to her dispelled from the spike of emotion. Sakura's attention moved back to the small amount of brown dirt on the ground before picking up a new leaf.

"W-what are you talking about"

Rei smiled.

"Maa, don't worry. Though he's a genius at being a shinobi, he's a total blockhead when it comes to affections. Don't let it get to you."

"I-I still don't know what you're talking about."

Sakura continued to blush as she made a bunshin next to her. Sakura tried to keep focus on her leaf but couldn't. Damn blondes.

Rei smirked a bit. She moved closer to Sakura and whispered into her ear.

"So is it a jump his bones kinda thing, or a love filled heart kinda crush?"

Sakura's bunshin dispelled again and Sakura blushed furiously. She cocked her fist back and went to punch Rei. Rei dodged and chuckled. _Might as well start on taijutsu_.

"W-what are you saying Rei-sensei! We are just twelve years old!"

"Well shinobi don't live that long, might as well starting livin' the life at twelve."

Sakura aimed for another punch, dodged once again by Rei.

"Ho-ho. Sakura has a more fiery personality than meets the eye! You're not as passive as we all think."

Between punches, Sakura explained.

"Most of the women in the Haruno family develop what is called an inner self. This inner self expresses the person's desires that they cannot voice in reality. It usually helps against genjutsu and low level Yamanaka jutsu's even though Haruno's aren't really a ninjas."

Rei, intrigued, continued dodging and asked.

"So you're inner personality is a fiery attitude that you wish to release. What are scared of? Naruto being scared of you?"

"N-no."

Sakura looked away, blushing. Rei shifted out of stance and put her hands on her hips.

"Come on, then. Show some of that fiery personality, I'm sure he'd like it."

Sakura aimed another punch but Rei only dodged again.

"Is that all you got? You won't make it to chuunin with this kind of Taijutsu."

* * *

Naruto got Sasuke to isolate his lightning affinity and Konohamaru with his fire affinity.

"Alright guys, good job. Because of your larger than normal reserves, it took a bit longer than normal. I was um, kinda kidding when I said the leaf exercise would take months. It normally would take a week or so. But since you had the bunshin and you're an exceptional group of genin, under the tutelage of the great Namikaze Naruto, you got it in 4 hours."

"Shut it, Naru-yaro. That was torture. You made us do five freaking bunshins! Do you know how crazy that is!?"

Naruto suddenly got whacked to the ground by two people. He turned around to see Sakura and Rei, both with hands on their hips.

"Yeah, Naruto-sensei. What were you doing making them do five bunshins?"

"S-sakura?"

"Answer the question, Naruto. Why were you making your genin do a number of bunshin's only a chuunin could do?"

"R-rei...t-they had big reserves, I just made use of that."

Naruto gulped as both girls cracked their knuckles. Sasuke and Konohamaru were shocked at Sakura's change in demeanor.

"S-sasuke, Konohamaru, t-training tomorrow, 7 o'clock. Be there-"

Naruto darted out, chased by the two girls.

"Get back here, Naruto!"

"Sensei!"

* * *

A week went by as the three genin continued to train with Naruto and Rei. Rei was able to get the jounin, Rin, herself, to teach Sakura a bit of Medical jutsu and some of Tsunade's taijutsu style. Naruto was able to get Sasuke to practice two of his affinities separately. The Uchiha never really showed up afterwards as he trained more at home, under the instruction of his father, naturally. Naruto taught Konohamaru more fire techniques, including some of his own fox style techniques. He also taught Konohamaru henge after seeing the reports from academy saying he wasn't that good in class. Sadly, Naruto decided that it would be a good idea to teach Konohamaru, _Oiroke no jutsu_.

_"Alright, Konohamaru. Now that I have faith in your henge skills, let's work on the Oiroke no jutsu."_

_"Oiroke no jutsu?"_

_"It-is-the-best-freaking-jutsu-EVER!"_

_"Really? What does it do?"_

_"It makes some of the toughest ninja's faint from blood loss. I got Iruka-sensei down for this one, I've got multiple tokubetsu jonin down, and I've got the great sannin, Jiraiya under my spell."_

_"Whoa! It must be really powerful! Teach me!"_

Sadly, the girls saw what they were doing once again. Naruto was chased down to his house where his mother learned what he did, then she followed the girls to find her son. The group of girls charging at Naruto multiplied as each learned what he taught.

"Come on! Can't you let the guys indulge a little?"

"**NO!**"

Naruto accelerated at the sound of a chorus furious girls responded. Naruto looked on the bright side, this was great training. He was outrunning some female anbu, a sannin, the habanero, several jounin and chuunin, and Sakura. If he could outrun this pack, he can outrun anything. But he needed a break._ Hiraishin it is._

"YOU COWARD~!" Echoed through the entire village as Naruto flashed somewhere out of sight.

* * *

Minato called forth all the jounins. Naruto entered the meeting, disheveled with leaves caught in his blond locks. Once he got home from the chase last night, Kushina immediately set the punishment as a spar with her the next morning. By spar, she meant,_ I'm gonna beat the living daylights out of you, and it's legal,-ttebane._ The jounins watched the son of the Hokage enter with an annoyed look.

"What's up, _Hokage-sama_"

Minato sighed at his son's tone. Of course Naruto was mad that his own dad didn't save him from the wrath of Kushina. He'll have to clear that up later.

"Alright, all the jounins are present. This is very important meeting and I would like everyone's undivided attention"

All the jounins tensed up as Minato's expression hardened.

"The country that was going to hold the chuunin exams was attacked two days."

A series of gasps flew around the room. It died down for the next information.

"I had a meeting with the four other kage's yesterday (2) and we've decided that the chuunin exams will be held here in Konohagakure no Sato. And because of the need for new chuunins in case of a war breaking out, the chuunin exams have been pushed forward. It will be in exactly one month."

There was a mass of groans and Naruto's forehead dawned a huge tick mark.

"You mean, instead of nine months of training, we have exactly ONE FREAKING MONTH TO TRAIN GENIN?"

Everyone's attention was drawn back to Naruto.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but that's the way it is. I'm sure you're genin are ready-"

"-they're not."

"They are still enrolling."

The jounin turned their attention now to Uchiha Fugaku. His arms crossed as he looked at Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke will take this coming chuunin exam and his team with him."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"It appears I have no say in whether my genin team is ready or not."

Minato coughed.

"At this point, it doesn't matter. You have one month to get the genin informed and ready. This chuunin exam can help boost our economy, we will be having lots of tourists and future clientele. Alright, the jounin with genin teams enrolling, please step forth."

Asuma, Gai, Kurenai, and Naruto stepped forward.

"State if your team is entering. A quick yes or no will suffice"

"Yes"

"Yes"

"Yes"

Naruto paused at his turn, he turned to Fugaku and saw his harsh gaze. Naruto kept the eye contact locked as he hissed through his teeth.

"yes"

"That concludes this meeting. You're dismissed."

* * *

The three genin waited at training grounds seven for the sensei to show up.

"You'd think that Naruto-nii would should up considering we only have nine freaking months to prepare for the chuunin exams. He probably thinks we have all the time in the world! You know, nine months zooms by real fast"

"Hn."

"I'm sure Naruto-sensei is having a meeting or something, I didn't see any jounin on the way here."

With a yellow flash, Naruto appeared in front of the three genin. They were used to it so they turned to face Naruto, unfazed.

"You're late, Naruto-nii. What took you?"

Naruto clenched his fist as he looked to the floor.

"I have some...bad news for you three."

The three genin tensed as they saw Naruto's eyes, laced with anger.

"I'm afraid the chuunin exams are moved up. They are going to be held in exactly one month."

"That's okay, Naruto-sensei. We can always take it next year-"

"You can't. You can't skip out. I- I submitted you three into the test."

Naruto's teeth clenched in anger. If he had a choice, he wouldn't. It was like sending lambs to slaughter, his genin just weren't ready.

"What? Naruto-nii, you can't be serious. We aren't ready! You know that!"

"I know, I know. I was...f-forced."

Sasuke realized what was going on. His father had forced his sensei to put them into the test. Sasuke twinged a little in guilt. His teammates weren't taking this well. But he needed to rise in ranks and gain more power. He had a goal to fulfill and his teammates aren't going to get in the way.

"Please, Naruto-nii, you gotta do something."

"I'm just going to have to train you double time in this next month. In a sense, I'm not as worried for you as I'm worried for the other teams. Their genin don't know elemental affinities like you, they haven't been trained by multiple senseis."

"H-have faith in yourselves, you three are exceptional genin in Konoha. An upcoming Rin and Tsunade, a Sarutobi, and an Uchiha. You three are the epitome of skilled genin, you can do it. I didn't mean to call you guys out on a free day. I'll give you today off, but tomorrow, training will be really hard. Sasuke, I know you're being trained by your father, so it's not mandatory for you. But you two, this next month, I expect you two to have full nights sleep, nutritious meals, no passing out after training. I will be working you three to the bone. Alright, meeting tomorrow at 7:00, I'll be on time so don't slack."

Sasuke shunshined away. Konohamaru smiled and said something about having challenges that were nothing to the future hokage. Sakura just stood there, frozen.

"N-Naruto-sensei."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"I-I'm not ready."

Sakura started crying. She couldn't do this. She didn't want to put her team down, but she wasn't physically ready. She didn't have the body fit for a kunoichi. She felt weak, unskilled.

"S-sensei, I'm not ready!"

Naruto's guilt got heavier as he felt a tug at his stomach. He put his hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"Sakura, I'm sorry I put you through this. I didn't have a choice. Sasuke's father forced me to pass the three genin. You understand, he has more power than I do, as an adult, in a sense."

"I-I don't want to put my team down, I don't want to hold them back..."

"You won't Sakura. You're skilled. You've got Rei and Rin to help you. You've improved the most this week and you just got to believe in yourself. We've got a month. During that month, I'll help you get to the level you need to be. Do you believe me?"

"I-I, I'm just not ready..."

Naruto bent down a little to see Sakura's face. She couldn't fight the tears that were building. She was trying to hold them back, appear strong with that fiery attitude that Rei helped release. But it wasn't working. She just felt so weak. She grabbed a handful of Naruto's vest and pulled her closer to him. She started to sob, chanting she wasn't ready, she hugged him tighter.

Naruto was frozen in place. No one except his family had ever tried to hug him. He didn't really know how to comfort Sakura. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Sakura's frame. It was really small. Smaller than his mother's. He felt his flak-jacket get a bit moist.

"It's okay, Sakura. You can do this. You're stronger than you think. Alright?"

Naruto inwardly panicked as Sakura didn't stop crying. What was he going to do? He tried a few things his mom did to calm him down when he was younger. He rocked her side to side a little, rubbing circles on her back to calm her down. He muttered a few comforting words, words that he didn't know who they were directed to. Who was he trying to calm down, Sakura or himself? He was just as nervous as Sakura was. He couldn't help but feel immense guilt for sending three people he learned to care about into a test that could well be their deaths. Who was he saying it was going to be okay to?

* * *

(1) Those scrolls that Jiraiya and Naruto had that hang around their lower back.

(2) I know traveling takes a couple days, but since Minato is there, he can just flash them all to one location in an instant

an:/ alright, alright. Not the Narusaku you were hoping for, but I'm working on it! I don't believe relationships come to people like bees to honey. The real shindig happens after Chuunin exams and what not. Now I have revived Rin Nohara DUN DUN DUN. hahaha but seriously. I just love Kakarin so Rin being alive is just my dream...in a sense. We've got an antagonistic Fugaku, I know its horrible, but hey, we haven't meet Hyuuga Hiashi yet so lol. k bye.

Tsugi no Jikan! (next time)

Naruto's training month comes to an end, Chuunin exams commence! Are the three ready?


	15. Chapter 15

an:/ Alrighty Another slow update. That's okay, right? I'm starting to run out of time nowadays. My updates will be a bit slow. Thank you for all the reviews. Some replies:

The Keeper of Worlds- Aw yeah, a can of Kushina with a side of Naruto. Dessert will be Mikoto.

Battle neurosis- Checked the Wikia page. Rin is Nohara with no association with Inuzuka. I was a bit awkward with the scene at the end, I'm not really a romantic person (what?) lol haha but I'm trying to make it so that it doesn't seem rushed. Still, I figured that Sakura would instinctively look for comfort. The Naruto in this story doesn't seem like a one to run for comfort so Sakura made the advance first.

Now let's see how this advances.

* * *

Naruto continued to rock back and forth as he held Sakura. He felt her hold on his shirt loosen and her weight slack. Naruto looked down to see Sakura had fallen asleep. The sky was getting darker so Naruto picked her up and shunshined to the village. Naruto jumped from roof tops towards Sakura's home, mostly avoiding the busy streets by traveling in the shadows of the roof. He dropped Sakura off at her house, bidding her parents goodbye, before heading back home. It was a long day, hours of sparring with his mom, a jounin meeting gone sour, breaking bad news to genin, and comforting one that couldn't take the pressure. Naruto trudged back home, looking up towards the darkened sky.

Naruto sluggishly entered the Namikaze-Uzumaki compound, entering the main house where his family resided. He chucked off his shoes, walking past them before pausing and returning to put them in order properly. He plodded his way to the dining room where he dropped himself into a seat. Kushina exited the Kitchen with a pot of curry.

"Oh, Naruto! Okaeri!"

"Tadaima..."

"You seem exhausted. What's wrong?"

"Exhausting day. You shoulda been there for the Jounin meeting."

"Yeah, sorry, I had a couple errands for the hospital and academy. What did I miss out on?"

"An argument with none other than Uchiha Fugaku. He wants his damn son as chuunin as soon as possible. Practically forced me to submit my whole unprepared team to the chuunin exams."

"That damned Fugaku. I'll have to talk to Mikoto about that,_ give him a piece of my mind_."

"I wish. He's clan head of the freaking Uchiha clan."

"That is only because he married Mikoto. In actuality, it's Mikoto that has the main branch blood, making her the head. She's just lazy so she gave the responsibilities to her husband. But, when she wants, she always assume the position again at anytime."

"Yeah, but I have neither time nor power to get him. I'm only a rookie jounin. He's a seasoned one, even the head of the police."

"Don't worry, Naruto. I've got this."

The way Kushina said it sent shivers down Naruto's spine. Kushina made it even worse by happily humming as she went back into the kitchen. Kushina only hummed when she was covering up her anger. Note to everyone, never piss off Kushina when she's humming.

Minato entered the house a few minutes later and plopped down on a seat next to Naruto in the same fashion. Naruto looked over to his dad.

"Long day?"

"Ha, I can say the same to you."

Both blondes sighed and shrunk even further into their seats. Kushina came back out with a pot of rice.

"Both of you now? I won't have two wilted dumb blondes at my dinner table. Lighten up, ladies."

Minato and Naruto groaned as they sat back up supporting their heads on their hands, resting their elbows on the table. Kushina took a ladle and in one hit, swept their elbows of the table, sending their weight crashing to one side.

"Elbows off the damn table. Did you forget your manners already?"

The two blondes groaned again and droned in unison.

"Itadakimasu~"

Kushina sat down as well and they began serving themselves. Kushina eyed Minato before speaking up.

"So, Minato, I heard there was a little dispute during the Jounin meeting today. An argument involving a certain red-eyed bastard and my son."

Minato sighed before taking his attention off the curry and looking at Kushina.

"The guy wants his son to be a prodigy. I can tell he isn't too happy that my own son is already a jounin. I have a feeling he's already forgotten that Itachi was not too far behind from Naruto at his age. Can't he be happy with just one prodigy?"

Naruto scoffed.

"If only. Though Sasuke is starting to open up, he's still got the arrogance running through his veins. It seems the only normal Uchiha was Itachi, geez."

"Minato, I need to talk with Fugaku. He's seriously pushing his son too hard. Chuunin exams aren't to be taken lightly! Sometime I even think the Jounin test is easier!"

Minato scoffed. In his head, he was running multiple solutions to this new found problem. One solution kept eating at his attention, one that seemed a bit stupid, but at the same time, the only way. Minato looked up at his son before bringing his attention back to his wife.

"-and to think he had the nerve to so that! Right, Minato?"

"Uh, yeah"

"You weren't listening."

"Sorry, Kushina-chan. I'm just so exhausted. I'll find a solution to this problem."

With that, Minato lifted himself from his seat, brought his plate to the kitchen, then disappeared into the halls. Naruto followed suit.

"Don't worry, Kaa-san. I trained my genins well."

Naruto stifled a yawn before dragging himself off to his room. Kushina sighed and brought her own plate to the kitchen, then proceeded to clean up the rest of the table.

* * *

"Alright, twerps. 30 laps around the village. Hop to it!"

Konohamaru groaned before breaking out in a slow jog. Sasuke scoffed and starting running. Sakura looked at Naruto, unsure of what to do. Naruto gave her a reassuring smile which she returned shyly. She began her slow jog to catch up to the boys. Naruto sighed as he watched the three turn the corner and disappear from his sight. A poof was heard next to him and he turned to see his Sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei! What's up?"

"Not much. Hokage wants a word with you."

"Doesn't he know I'm on a tight schedule with training? Geez."

"It will be quick, it's kind of a mission in a sense."

Naruto groaned before forming a shadow clone. The clone saluted and Naruto and Kakashi shunshined away.

* * *

Naruto flashed into the office, followed suit by Kakashi. Minato looked up, shuffled some paper, and placed his hands together on the table.

"Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, you are here to take a solo mission. Are you up for it?"

Naruto nodded.

"What is it, Hokage-sama"

"As you know, your three genin are participating in the chuunin exams. Sadly, none of them are ready. And unfortunately, your misfortune doesn't end there-"

Minato's face hardened.

"We have reports that a_ certain criminal_ is after the heir of the Uchiha clan"

Naruto almost growled.

"Any reason in particular that my genin is being targeted?"

"He has motive"

"Motive?"

"Your genin has the motive to kill a certain someone. And that criminal is willing to him the power to do so."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"And so what are we going to do about this issue? Judging by the culprit of this scare, I don't think the Uchiha is the only goal this vermin wants to achieve."

"Correct as always, Naruto. The man wants to destroy Konohagakure...and kill the hokage"

Naruto's eyes pulsed red for a moment before going back to its ice cold cerulean.

"Wh-what are we going to do about it, Tou-Hokage-sama"

Minato could hear the breath caught in Naruto's throat when Naruto asked.

"I have quite a lot of ANBU looking after me. Not to mention, we've got a certain white haired pervert hanging around Konoha, undercover. Most people think the Sage is out with his spy network. Quite the contrary. We'll be ready. Now about your genin. I was thinking about giving them a body guard."

Naruto scoffed.

"Oh like that's gonna solve anything. Yeah, let's just send in some ANBU to stand around the Uchiha in PLAIN SIGHT! Good idea! Did I forget to mention this guys is practically an S-RANKED CRIMINAL?"

Minato laughed, only annoying Naruto even further.

"No, Naruto. He will be undercover as a fourth member of Team 7."

Naruto looked inquisitively.

"Undercover? Is there such thing as a fourth member of any genin cell?"

"It's happened before, still rare though."

"May I ask who this undercover guy is gonna be?"

Minato and Kakashi shared looks before turning back to Naruto.

* * *

_(One month later)_

The three genin waited as their sensei arrived.

"Late as usual, that asshole."

"I'm sure he has a good reason."

They looked over to two approaching figures. One of them was Naruto, but in full battle armor, mask with the bib and sword. Next to him was another boy, practically the same height. He had brown hair that was spiky like Naruto and Kakashi's. He had a mask that covered a majority of his face. The boy wore black framed lenses that were boxish and thick. The boy wore a trench coat and regular shinobi sandals. The posture of the boy screamed an unathletic and geeky.

Naruto walked up followed by the boy.

"Alright, Team 7. I've got news for ya. Please welcome your new teammate."

"A-Aoba Y-Yoki, p-pleasure to meet y-you"

The boy stuttered and looked away. Sasuke scoffed. Sakura gave a small warm smile and Konohamaru violently patted the boy on the back. Konohamaru hooked his arm around Yoki's neck.

"Welcome to Sarutobi Konohamaru's Entourage, Yoki. Let me introduce you to my cronies-"

Whack.

Naruto had whacked Konohamaru to the ground.

"Excuse this poor lame excuse of a student, Yoki. Team 7, introduce yourselves"

Yoki blushed a bit and smiled under his felt mask.

"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke"

"Haruno Sakura, pleasure to meet you too!"

Konohamaru cradled his head and pouted.

"S-Sarutobi Konohamaru"

Sakura eyed the boy suspiciously. There was something off about the boy. He clearly wasn't what he tried to perceive to be. The boy's posture was forced and the stutter was unnatural even for a stuttering person. Hanging around Hyuuga Hinata got her used to how normal stuttering sounded like. And the timing of his arrival is just too coincidental. Right around chuunin exams? Really? Now what were they going to do about teamwork?

"Alright, twerps. I got places to go. Tomorrow is the Chuunin entrance exams. Its gonna be at the academy at seven o'clock sharp. Be there on time or there's no telling how much punishment you'll get."

The four genin audibly gulped.

"Today you have the day off. Spend it wisely. I can't give you anymore information or knowledge from here on out about any jutsus or shinobi arts. Although I can give you some really important advice. First off, you'll be meeting plenty of foreign shinobi. Be friendly if you can help it. I know some will come off as total assholes but you gotta go through it. We are on a treaty so let's not start any wars over spilt milk. Second, the Chuunin exams are least to say, life threatening. If you do not take this test seriously, I assure you, you will get hurt. Stay alert, sharp, on your toes. Always have a weapon at your disposal. I'm sure you three have already gotten your specialty down in this past month?"

The three genin nodded, Yoki shuffled awkwardly.

"Yoki, I don't know what your 'sensei' has taught you, but I hope it works out."

Yoki nodded.

"Continuing on. Third, Keep to yourself. Don't draw attention. Considering you three are rookies and an Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Kunoichi, and a, well, you know, uh, moving on. You're already gonna attract some attention, don't make any of it worse than it has to be. I'll see you four right before you enter the first part of the test. Don't screw up. Don't be late. Now as for today. I don't advise you to train. Go restock weapons, seal them in scrolls, upgrade armor or attire, sharpen your kunai and shuriken, and don't make friends with the enemies. The foreign shinobi may well be your end."

The genin gulped again.

"Remember, I believe in you guys. You can do this. You've been trained by the almighty Shinobi no Inari! What could possibly go wrong?"

"Everything..."

Naruto whacked Konohamaru again and everyone laughed.

"I have faith in my students. I hope you the best, and good luck! Don't break a leg!"

Naruto chuckled as he flashed away. The four genin stood around awkwardly. Sasuke was the first to leave.

"See ya three losers, tomorrow."

Yoki let out a shocked expression at the name. Konohamaru did a quick wave and left as well. Sakura turned to Yoki.

"Well don't take it personally. We've just never met you before, they'll come around eventually. Well, you heard Naruto-sensei. Go restock and upgrade. See ya tomorrow!"

Sakura shunshined away. Yoki looked around and let out a deep sigh.

"Kai"

A poof appeared around Yoki, revealing Naruto.

"Damn henge, stupid idea, stupid team"

_(flashback)_

_"May I ask who this undercover guy is gonna be?"_

_Minato and Kakashi shared looks before turning back to Naruto._

_"...You."_

_"Hahaha. Even better! Blonde hair blue eyes are totally normal traits in Konoha! Not suspicious at all!" _

_"Under henge. You will have practically full coverage and a cover story to back it up. Think of it as a preparation for some A-ranked espionage missions."_

_"Ha, what a joke"_

_"It's to protect your team"_

_"Why me? Why not tell the team they're targeted."_

_"It gives away the fact that Konoha knows, we lose the element of surprise. If the genin act all suspicious now, then__** they'll**__ know. Besides, you haven't taken the Chuunin exams. This will be perfect for you! Naturally, I'll make the papers say you achieved said rank before not to arouse suspicion but in all seriousness, you will be legitimately taking the test."_

_Naruto scoffed. _

_"This better work."_

_"Hello to you too, Aoba Yoki"_

_"What a lame name"_

_Minato and Kakashi chuckled at the boy's antics. Naruto took the papers of his cover story and waved goodbye._

Naruto sighed again before trudging back to the compound. Now he'll have to act stupid to play the part of Aoba Yoki. Covers weren't really his thing. Stupid chuunin exams.

On Naruto's way to the compound, he heard yells.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Make me, pipsqueak!"

"I'm not a pipsqueak!"

Konohamaru? Naruto henged into his normal attire and walked around to corner to see what was going on. Naruto saw Konohamaru held by the collar by what seemed to be a sand shinobi. The boy had a kunai at Konohamaru's throat. A sand kunoichi next to him spoke up.

"Let him go, Kankuro. You'll get us in trouble."

"I would listen to her if I were you."

Naruto walked up to the three.

"Naruto-nii!"

"Huh? Who are you?"

"That's not important at the moment. What's important is that you take your hands off the boy"

"Not until he apologizes for running into me first!"

"Let me rephrase that. Hands off the Sandaime Hokage's grandson, _now._"

Kankuro dropped Konohamaru unceremoniously in shock. The kunoichi next to him stuttered.

"S-see Kankuro! Look what you've done, you could've gotten us in real big trouble!"

Kankuro snapped out of his shock and smirked a little.

"Yeah yeah, whatever, Temari. Well, if I can't have the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage apologize to me, maybe I can make a pipsqueak like you-"

Naruto flashed in front of Kankuro, sword blade ready at Kankuro's neck.

"I'm the fourth hokage's son, and a_ jounin_. Unless you want to die, I suggest you _shut the fuck up._"

At this point, Kankuro had stepped back, beads of sweat forming on the boy's face. The blade followed Kankuro back and Temari started to panic as well. Naruto looked up to the tree.

"You too, redhead. Why don't you come out of your little hiding place. it's not good to go around leaking large amounts of killer intent."

Temari and Kankuro were both shocked to see the Naruto sense the third shinobi. A redhead walked out from behind the tree. He had dark circles around his eyes and red hair. His large gourd on his back leaked sand.

"Mother...demands your blood."

Naruto frowned.

"I hate to break it to ya, but nobody's gonna get my blood anytime soon."

"She wants it!"

"Gaara, enough!"

A sand jounin walked up to them.

"Excuse me, Namikaze-san. And please excuse my students."

The four walked away, leaving Naruto and Konohamaru alone.

"That was so cool Naruto-nii-"

"-Watch out for those three, Konohamaru. Especially that Gaara character"

"Wha-H-hai, Naruto-nii."

Naruto walked away and Konohamaru scurried back home. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the thought of the redhead. His mother demanded blood? What was with the sand? The other two Sand Shinobi were scared of him too. This was bad news. There were definitely some shady characters in this upcoming chuunin test.

-

"RISE AND SHINE, BUTTERCUP!"

"..."

"THAT'S IT! I'VE TRIED BEING NICE, BUT CLEARLY IT DOESN'T WORK. GET THE FUCK UP, NARUTO~!"

"I'm up!"

Naruto slowly rose from his warm pillow. He looked at the alarm clock and almost shot through the roof. The alarm read six forty. He had twenty freaking minutes to get dressed and reach the academy before it was too late. He wasn't even following his own advice!

He quickly shoved on some anbu pants, a chain mail shirt, the awful looking grey trench coat, mask, and chunky glasses. He looked into the mirror, nodding before turning to the door, only to skid to a halt. He turned back to the mirror and saw his bright blond hair. He henged and made his hair the same brown spikes as yesterday. He quickly darted to the kitchen. Kushina almost yelped in surprise at the stranger but realized it was her son in disguise.

"I know you have a mission, but you're gonna scare the crap outta me! Cut it out!"

"Sorry, Kaa-san! I'll be taking this!"

Naruto grabbed the toast that Kushina was about to bite into and flashed away.

"NARUTO~! GET BACK HERE AND GIVE ME BACK MY TOAST!"

-

Naruto had made it to the academy in record time, it was now six fifty and apparently his teammates were still not there. He coughed a little and got into his Yoki voice and repeated some sentences in his head. His thoughts were interrupted by three genin walking up to him. He looked up to see Sakura, Konohamaru, and Sasuke.

"E-everyone, g-good morning!"

"Yo"

"Hn"

"Hiya, Yoki-kun. Let's go in guys!"

The four genin walked into the academy, making their way up the levels. Yoki stayed behind the three, analyzing what they were doing, which did not go unnoticed by some chuunin around. Iruka was standing at the doorway of one of the levels. The group walked right through, seen as there were plenty of genin there as well. Iruka and Yoki made eye contact for a split second and Iruka's eyes narrowed. _That kid ain't a normal genin._

Yoki watched as all the genin stood around the floor, doing absolutely nothing.

_Come on team 7, stay alert! Can't you see the trick?!_

Yoki started tapping his toes as he waited along with Team 7. Their dawdling was cut short when a girl was shoved to the ground. The girl had two buns in her hair and she wore a pink vest with green pants. Yoki recognized her as one of Maito Gai's student, Tenten.

"Che, if you can't get past us, you don't deserve to be chuunin, let alone genin."

That Lee kid came around and helped Tenten back on her feet before turning to the two genin in front of the doorway of Room 345.

"Please let us through, that is the room for the registration and if we don't sign up soon, we won't be able to take the test! Please let us into the room!"

"Sucks for you! If you can't get past us, there's no need to sign up anyways. You're just not worth being ninjas"

One of the genin darted towards Tenten and aimed for a punch. At that very moment, Yoki walked in between the two, earning a full on punch to the jaw by accident. Yoki stumbled to the floor and grabbed his cheek.

"A-ah, sorry!"

Yoki jumped up, patted his clothing and bowed before hurriedly returning to Team 7. Everyone was shocked at what just happened. How did Yoki manage to get there so fast? And how come he was just punched to the side so easily? The chuunins were also shocked at the speed of the genin. Sasuke walked up to the two genin

"Hey, you two. Quit the genjutsu, we need to get to the third floor."

The genin were startled for a second but regained a stance.

"Heh, so you caught the genjutsu, that doesn't mean you'll get past us!"

The two genin charged, both fists cocked back, ready to punch the living daylights out of Sasuke. Once again, Yoki walked into the pathway of the punches and turned towards the genin. His facial expression read as_ scared shitless_. Yoki was frozen as the two punches came zooming at him. The two punches came in full contact at either side of Yoki's face. Yoki was launched into Sasuke who quickly shoved him off and onto the floor.

"Aw man, I got punched once, now again? Could it get any worse? Today is just not my day. Maybe I shouldn't even take the test."

Yoki mumbled as he lifted himself up, brushing off the dust on his crummy coat. Yoki looked up at the genin.

"P-Please let us through, we need to take the t-test!"

The two genin scoffed and turned to leave.

"I guess you two deserve it."

The genjutsu dissolved showing that the whole floor plan was incorrect, the previous Room 345 was actually the staircase to the third floor. Apparently, the genin were still on the second floor. All the genin quickly charged through the doorway and made their way up to the third floor. Team 7 met up with Naruto (in this case a clone). Naruto smiled.

"I see you guys made it past the genjutsu. What did I say about keeping on your toes!"

The four genin groaned and trudged into the real Room 345. Yoki and Naruto looked at each other. Naruto nodded and yawned, walking away as Team 7 entered the room.

-

It was least to say, crowded with shinobi everywhere. They were all grouped according to their countries. Konohamaru could make out at least a few of the hitai ate as he walked past them. Team 7 walked to the other rookies of Konoha. Yamanaka Ino ran up to the group and squealed.

"Sasuke-kun~!"

"Quiet Ino!"

"Shut it, Billboard brow!"

Sakura had been friends with Ino until Ino took a turn for the worst and became a fangirl. Ever since, Sakura and Ino had been fighting about ideals as a kunoichi and as a girl.

Sakura tried to maintain the advice Naruto had given the team on keeping on the down low. But Ino wasn't helping. If this continued, the whole room will have their attention on them. Shikamaru shot in to save the day.

"Ino, don't."

"Shut it, Shika! You're just jealous that you're not Sasuke!"

"If you keep going at it like this, you'll die first"

All the konoha genin looked up to see a teen. He was taller than them and wore round glasses. His silver hair was wrapped in a ponytail. Yoki's eyes narrowed at the boy but remained silent.

"I can tell you guys are rookies. I've taken this test seven times, and from what I saw, it's usually the loud ones that die first. But hey, I can help you. The name is Kabuto."

Kabuto took out a deck of cards.

"Name someone you want to know about and I have the information."

Sasuke stepped forward immediately.

"Aoba Yoki"

Yoki sweatdropped. Talk about lack of trust.

"Ah, your teammate. Aoba Yoki- well this is interesting."

Kabuto revealed a card that was depressing.

"It appears, this Aoba Yoki has no particular skill. All of his skill points are extremely low, lower than an academy student. The information on his missions say nothing other than he completed one D-rank. His jutsu include a Kawarimi, Henge, and Bunshin, Just your typical academy graduate"

Sasuke frowned along with everyone else. Who was this Aoba Yoki guy? Yoki inwardly sighed with relief. The cover story was pretty good and his father covered up a lot. But Naruto's relief was cut when Konohamaru asked for another name.

"There was one person Naruto-sensei said to be careful of. I believe his name was Gaara"

"A-Ah, Gaara."

Kabuto snapped out of his slight shock from lack of information and pulled out a second card. Yoki was proud of Konohamaru at his attentiveness and information gathering. Yoki inwardly smiled.

"Gaara no Sabaku. Unstable psych. His power is his sand which is chakra infused. Most of it comes from his gourd but he can make sand anytime from any rock. He's killed a lot of people, though most of it were covered up by his father, the Yondaime Kazekage-"

Sasuke interrupted the information and called out a new name.

"Namikaze, Naruto."

Naruto tensed as Kabuto brought out a card. He just interrupted some really important information that could help him! Besides, couldn't Sasuke just trust his own Sensei?

"Ah, Son of the Yondaime Hokage. W-well, his stats are off the charts, that's for one. The amount of A and B ranked missions are astounding. He's got a few S ranked under his belt. He's got exactly two C rank and zero D rank. It seems his four years of training with a sannin paid off."

Yoki wanted to scoff but held it in. The other genin were shocked at the stat levels. His speed was on par with the Yondaime, strategy and intelligence close to that of a Nara, and another category was listed under the name.

"Fuuinjutsu? Underneath has a list of some of his jutsus-"

Yoki quickly made hand seals and lit the card on fire and then grabbed Kabuto's wrist. His eyes narrowed at Kabuto who was taken back.

"Don't you have a bit too much on the information of this Jounin? Actually, I find that your extremely large amount of information on a lot of the shinobi here is quite suspicious. If you don't want me to report to a chuunin about those card of yours, I suggest you remain quiet."

"V-very well, Yoki-san."

Kabuto gulped as Yoki's grip tightened around his wrist. At that moment, a very large man entered the room.

"Alright genin, knock it off. You'll get plenty of time to kill each other later."

A bunch of Chuunin and Jounin chuckled. The man looked at Yoki and narrowed his eyes. He knew who Yoki really was, the real question was, why was he threatening that genin? The man stepped forward some more.

"Alright, enter the room next door for the first portion of the test."

The genin filed out to the next room and Yoki stayed behind. The man turned to Yoki.

"What's up, Blondie. Any particular reason that genin is a threat to you?"

Naruto scoffed.

"That genin has some of Konohagakure no Sato's s-ranked secrets along with plenty of information on every shinobi and Kunoichi in this village. I have a feeling that this genin isn't a genin at all."

"I have a feeling you aren't a genin at all."

Naruto chuckled.

"Just like how I'm not really blonde, Ibiki-san. But of all seriousness, have your men look into that kid, he's suspicious."

"Roger that, Namikaze. Now get going, Aoba Yoki, you're gonna miss your very first chuunin exam."

Ibiki smirked which came out more like a grimace. Yoki chuckled meekly, scratching the back of his head. He left the man in the room and headed towards next door.

"That kid, just like his father."

Ibiki turned and snapped his fingers. Two ANBU came out and kneeled in front of him.

"You heard him. That Kabuto kid, a 'konoha' genin has been found suspicious by the son of the Hokage, himself. Snap to it."

"Hai"

The ANBU shunshined away and Ibiki's eyes narrowed.

Looks like there was more trouble than they thought. Moles in the very exam itself could arise some serious problems. But considering the Yondaime sent his son in undercover, he probably already thought of this happening. Ibiki chuckled a bit. Just comes to show how intelligent the Yondaime is.

-

an:/ so slow. Alright, we've set the chuunin exams into gear. Not much to say other than the fact that there will be blood (and some narusaku). The chuunin exams will really set the narusaku in motion too. Patience is virtue, amiright? Anyways, I tried fanfiction's proofreading and I just wanna say that it sucks. Don't use it. Or maybe use it a little but don't rely to heavily on it. It takes away the writer's voice in the writing, makes words "simple" so readers can understand. I mean come on, you guys know what "maintain" means amiright? And it underlines every freaking japanese word. NOW IT WON'T SHUT OFF! DAMMIT. On a completely different note: Review!

POLL (not much of one considering I have a feeling of what you all will choose):

What's gonna happen to KABUTO?

a) he's been forced by Orochimaru, get's freed by Naruto  
b) Killed by Naruto (or someone else, you can specify)  
c) Imprisoned, goes through Interrogations dept.  
d) runs away like series.  
e) Dies in chuunin exams during the forest of death  
f) Kabuto has no affiliation to Orochimaru other than he's a sound nin

So many options. If you want my opinion, I don't like Kabuto at all. That snake bastard. But I won't let my opinion change your choice. The next chapter won't include what's gonna happen to Kabuto so you'll have a long time to choose. Choose wisely!

-


	16. Chapter 16

an:/ Wow, a lot of people either want kabuto to die later or die now. Of course, the chapters are getting shorter and taking longer to update but of course that will change when winter break comes out. Alright. I don't have much to say other than some responses to reviews:

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: Seems like a solid idea...I'll see what I can do... ;)

ero-sennin56: I hope you're reading this response because it is so important. Alright. Now that I have a few people's attention:

NAMIKAZE LEGEND-VERSE HISTORY! if you want, tune in.

Alright, today, we will be covering the Kirigakure no Sato's civil wars. So let's start with the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, jinchuuriki of the sanbi, who was in charge of the bloody mist, a society where children learned to slaughter their classmates to promote themselves. Under the this "bloody mist" society, Kiri was well known for violence and gore. Amidst the violence and constant fighting among random citizens and ninjas, those with Kekkei genkai started to stand out as superiors to everyone else in Kiri. Out of fear, the Yondaime Mizukage started the Kekkei genkai purge, killing off a majority of the bloodlines in Kiri, leaving a few to seek refuge in other countries and go under. Then suddenly, right towards the end of the purge, the Yondaime disappeared. After rising through the ranks, Terumi Mei has assumed the position of Godaime Mizukage. Under the new Mizukage, the bloody mist was ended. Or so they thought. Because the Godaime had radical views compared to the previous mizukage, mostly supporting peace and treaty versus violence and independence, many of the bloody mist supporters rebelled. Kiri split into two factions, one that supported the Godaime and one that supported the Yondaime. The two new factions started civil wars, competing to see which faction is better. Violent as they were, the Yondaime's supporting faction was starting to win based off of battle experience. However, one day, a masked shinobi appeared out of nowhere. This shinobi changed the tides of the battle, supporting the Godaime and wiping out chunks of the Yondaime supporting faction. The shinobi was well known for his red hilted sword, red bib, and fox mask. He was known as Shinobi no Inari. Shinobi no Inari was a one man army, defeating bases by himself and wiping the floor with the enemy's face. After the civil war was ended and the rebelling faction was put down, Shinobi no Inari met up with the Mizukage. The Mizukage offered a place in Kiri but was shot down after revealing that Shinobi no Inari was actually from Konoha. The Mizukage offered treaties to Konoha, securing an alliance.

All in all, to answer your question, ero-sennin56, If i have my history down correctly, the new mizukage was nothing like Hitler. Naruto was not supporting a Hitler at all. And if Hitler were to be brought to this for comparison, The Yondaime Mizukage would be closest, starting a purge, and creating a violent faction with radical views. As a matter of fact, scratch that. The two situations cannot be compared because though they may share the same root, they're not the same flower. Point is, the situation is nothing like WWII.

ALrighty then, History class is over. Now on to the real story.

* * *

As each genin entered the testing room, they received number tags to place on their shirt. Yoki entered last, receiving the number tag 150. Yoki eyed the room for a place to sit, spotting a teenager in the center. He chewed on a senbon and his eyes were darting around, like he was nervous or agitated. Yoki smirked under his mask but quickly stopped as he felt someone put their hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Konohamaru.

"Better not drop out, Yoki! Team 7 relies on you!"

"A-Ah, K-Konohamaru-san. O-of course."

"Haha, I'll see ya after the test!"

Konohamaru left and headed towards the back of the class, taking a seat next to the sand shinobi. Yoki headed to the center, sitting next to the senbon teen. As Yoki sat down, he looked at the teen and introduced himself.

"Y-Yo, I'm Aoba Yoki!"

"Akaraiji G-Ryuujin"

"I wish you luck then, Akaraiji-san"

"You too."

Yoki's eyes narrowed at the stutter. Who forgets their own name? How many suspicious people are there in this exam? Naruto's eyes darted around the room widened his eyes at his observation. A majority of the chuunin were stealing glances towards them. Did they know who he was? No. They weren't looking at him specifically. This Ryuujin character was the subject to their scrutiny._ Odd_. Yoki bit back a grin and but could help but have a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Alright, maggots! Listen up! I'm Morino Ibiki and I am your test proctor for this portion of the test. You have received a number tag which you are to place on your shirt so that it is visible to everyone."

The crowd started to shift about as some of the participants corrected their tags.

"The first portion of the test, is the written test. You will be receiving a written test with nine questions on them. You are to answer all nine of them and then wait for the tenth question which I will give separately at the end. You have one hour to complete these nine questions. Attempt the highest score possible because your scores will be part of the team score which is all your teammate's scores combined. There are chuunin stationed around the room to catch any cheating. If you are caught cheating, two points will be subtracted from your team score. If you are caught cheating a second time, three points will be subtracted. If you are caught a third time, you and your teammates will be kicked out."

Yoki made eye contact which Sasuke who glared at him. His glare practically screamed _Don't screw up_. Yoki smiled meekly and looked back down. Yoki looked to his sides. Ryuujin was on his right and a Hyuuga was on his left. Yoki looked back up to meet Ibiki's stare.

"Alright, maggots. Begin!"

Yoki began to look through the questions. He almost scoffed out loud when he saw how difficult these questions were. These were probably questions for Jounin for crying out loud. Yoki continued to scan through the questions. As difficult as they were, Namikaze Naruto could solve them easily, but not Aoba Yoki. He was suppose to be below average in terms of intelligence._ I guess I'll just have to cheat_. He looked around to see several genin sweating like madmen and then smiled to himself. Yoki fell asleep, shocking several chuunin and causing Ibiki to sweatdrop._ I know he's the hokage's kid, but sleeping? Really?_

The hour went by slowly. Sasuke realized what the test was about as soon as he saw several genin trying to cheat. The half way through, the chuunin started calling out names. Some genins, not knowing how to solve these problems, desperately tried to cheat. Their sloppy acts of desperation were caught immediately. A few genin however, caught on to something else.

Sakura solved all the question solely based off of her own intelligence. Sakura knew she was smart, she wasn't too worried about herself. She was more worried about this Yoki guy. If Kabuto's cards were correct, this guy should have been called out by now. She took a peek at him. Sakura's jaw slacked and her eyes grew to dinner plates.

_HE'S SLEEPING?_

Sakura almost wanted to jump out of her seat and sock the kid in the nuts, downsize them so he won't pull this kind of stunt again. Was he that confident in his intelligence, which are supposedly below average? She looked back at Konohamaru who was also sleeping.  
She glanced at the clock and saw they had 15 minutes left. She noticed the two people next to Konohamaru and the two next to Yoki were asleep as well. _Ridiculous. Who do these people think they are? They are in the middle of a test!_

Konohamaru caught the glance of Sakura underneath his elbow and smirked a bit. He was pretending to be asleep while he waited for his summon. He felt a shake on his leg and looked down to see his summon. The small monkey was going around, collecting answers for Konohamaru. As if these people would make him do a written test! Cheating penalties be damned, he is not going to think during this test. Konohamaru took in the information his summon collected and let it poof out of existence.

Konohamaru had spent a majority of the test time watching the sand shinobi next to him for information. The three siblings that he encountered earlier had intriguing ways of cheating. The Temari girl summoned a ferret as well, following the same strategy. The make up boy, Kankuro, connected his hand with another participant's hand with a chakra string, like a puppet. Now, the sandboy, Gaara. Ah, the sandboy, he had a peculiar way of cheating. He had created an eyeball out of sand and levitated it above the room. The boy covered one of his eyes and then began copying. It was as if the sand eye was connected to his real one. Konohamaru finished writing down his answers and then let himself fall back to sleep.

Yoki, on the other hand, had woken up from his 50 minutes slumber. He peered at the clock and sighed. He looked to Ryuujin next to him who was, unfortunately for him, fast asleep. Yoki slipped a senbon under the desk and shot it at the teen. The teen woke up with a start, darting his eyes about, but his eyelids began to weigh down and the boy collapsed again to the side, revealing his answers to the test. But Yoki wasn't going to take the time to copy, no way! Yoki knocked over his waterbottle on the floor, spilling some water. The chuunins looked at him and Yoki gave them an apologetic look. The chuunin shrugged it off and looked at the other genin, calling out more numbers. Yoki quickly formed a hand seal under the table and whispered.

_Suiton: Suiko no jutsu_

A small fox began to form from the water, solidifying into a small hand sized white fox with a red bib. It tilted its heads for instructions. Yoki started weaving hand signs like ANBU, giving the instructions silently. The fox nodded and disappeared between the legs of the genin. Yoki tilted back on his seat and waited.

Ibiki walked around, looking at the genin. He was most amused by the fact that the Yondaime's son had been sleeping for the past fifty minutes and only decided to wake up now with ten minutes left. He inwardly chuckled but tensed up immediately. He felt a presence behind him so he whipped around only to see nothing. He heard a sound of a bell and looked to his right shoulder. There stood a small white fox, tilting his head letting out a small squeak. Ibiki went to grab the fox only to grab air. The sudden movement caught the attention of all the chuunin as they watched the jounin interrogator struggle to catch a fox running all over him. Yoki smirked and took this opportunity as his opening.

The senbon on Ryuujin's leg suddenly sported a Hiraishin seal. Yoki quickly flashed to the teen, grabbed his test, switched it with his own, then returned to his seat. The only person that noticed this was one green clad genin behind him who looked in shock at the sheer speed. Yoki erased the name at the top, and changed it for his own. The fox on Ibiki's head dispelled, splashing water all over Ibiki.

Ibiki recognized the jutsu when it was too late. His drenched bandana weighed his head down as he looked at the disguised blonde. The blonde smiled and waved, chuckling a bit._ That damned blondie_. Ibiki inwardly cursed as he left the room to change bandanas. Naruto pulled out the senbon and went back to sleeping, having an extra nine minutes to spare.

* * *

"Alright, maggots! Time's up!...Quit yer yappin'"

The ephemeral chaos of murmuring genins stopped and looked back up to Ibiki.

"Alright. As promised, the tenth question will now be given out. But there's a catch. If you don't answer the question properly, you and your team will be kicked out-"

The murmurs started again.

"-And you won't be able to take the test ever again."

At that point, genin's were outraged.

_"What?"_

_"That can't be!"_

_"What am I gonna do!"_

The room was out yelled by the Inuzuka kid, Kiba.

"I'm pretty sure there are people who have taken this test several times!"

The room quieted down to several whispers in agreement. Ibiki scoffed, catching them off guard.

"That's because they were tested by a bunch of pansies. This is my test, my rules. You don't get it right, I'll personally make sure you don't ever take a genin test, ever. Period. Now make up your damn mind."

Yoki smirked and leaned back into his chair. He stretched a little and yawned, watching a few genin file out of the classroom. Yoki watched as Sakura started to panic.

Sakura started panicking the moment Ibiki said a team who failed the question couldn't take the test again. Strategically, dropping out would be most advised. They could try again next year, when the proctor was different, thus assuring success in passing whatever test they give. But then again, the Uchiha were behind this team, ready to strike down any who oppose. Taking the chance for the heir to become chuunin away was signing a death wish.

Sakura gulped and looked around. She made eye contact with Yoki. She tried to swallow but her throat was too dry. Yoki only smiled and shook his head. He raised his fist in enthusiasm and tried to motivate her then gave her the thumbs up. She chuckled a bit. The antics reminded her of what Naruto would have done. Her sensei had been trying to assure and motivate her. He would always smile a megawatt grin and give her the thumbs up. Suddenly she felt her panic and reluctance ebb away. She turned back to the front, more confident than before.

Several genin continued to leave the room. Naruto eyed the remaining ones, all the clan heirs were present, his team was still there, and those pestering suna shinobi were still there._ How annoying._

Ibiki eyed the rest of the genin who were still seated. Some of the genins were shaking in their seat, their resolve, slowly but surely, crumbling. Ibiki smirked.

"Come on, ya shitless chickens! Take your pick! Wanna remain genin for the rest of your life?"

Several genin let out a squeak and then jumped from their seats, running to the door. Ibiki put his hands on his hips and smirked at his work. He was enjoying this way too much. But he could tell there this batch was strong. Only 78 genin left, out of the 150, leaving 72, which was still a lot.

"Is this your final decision? You all ready for the question that determines your fate?"

No one moved from their seats, their eyes darting around to see if anyone had the nerve to leave.

"Alright, maggots, You pass."

The Inuzuka guy raised from his seat at the same time as Konohamaru. The two shouted in unison.

"WHAT~?"

"You heard me, you all pass."

"But, how?"

The sand kunoichi, Temari, spoke up.

"The final question wasn't really a question, was it. It was just to test if we had the will to take chances. Same with the test. It wasn't really a written test to see how much we knew, but ..."

"...It was to see if we could cheat."

Everyone was shocked to see Yoki speak up. Yoki quickly covered his mouth and muttered sorry. He was really sorry, just not to the genin. He just put his cover in jeopardy and now his father is going to get his skin. Ibiki just smirked, realizing the kid's mistake.

"The kid is correct. As you can see, it only takes a retard to get it."

"H-Hey!"

Yoki puffed his cheek out and crossed his arms. Inside, he was kind of thankful because Ibiki might've helped him, a bit.

"As I was saying, both genin were correct. The test was to see if you could cheat, or, in more formal terms, gather information without people knowing. The test was composed of questions only jounin could answer. There were several jounins positioned around the room for you to cheat off of."

Ryuujin and two other supposed_ genin_ stood up waving. Ryuujin shot a glare at Yoki who only returned an innocent but mischievous smile. Ibiki coughed and continued.

"The tenth question was also a test to see if you had the balls to put all your chances on the line to succeed. You're all still here so therefore, you all-"

"-AND HELLO, LITTLE SHITS~!"

The window crashed as something shot through it, successfully interrupting the interrogator. The bundle shot out, pinning a banner with four kunai, reading, SECOND TEST PROCTOR, THE SEXY SINGLE MITARASHI ANKO! Yoki rolled his eyes and Ibiki facepalmed himself. Anko stood up straight, giving people a thumbs up.

"Hello maggots, I'm your second test proctor, Mitarashi Anko. Follow me to the Forest of Death for your next Exam!"

"Dammit, Anko! You ruined my ending!"

"Sucks for you, baldy!"

"Get back here, ANKO!"

Anko shot out of the room, leaving the genin bewildered. Ibiki coughed again.

"W-well you heard her, get going."

The genin filed out of the room and Yoki stayed behind again.

"How's your head, Ibiki? Didn't catch a cold did you?"

"Damn you, you little blond fuc-"

"Jaa-nee!"

Yoki flashed out, leaving Ibiki furious among shocked chuunins. They didn't know Yoki was actually Naruto so they thought a genin just insulted the tokubetsu jounin and got away with it.

"Damn that little dumb shit."

* * *

The genin gathered at the entrance of training grounds 44. Anko shunshined in front of the group suprising them.

"Welcome to my domain, o' wretched souls. This here-"

Anko pointed behind her with a smirk.

"-is known as the forest of death. Filled with vile creatures, carnivorous beasts that love to feast of fresh lil' genins."

Yoki scoffed. Well, 'Naruto' scoffed. Being a jounin, you get to learn a lot of the village secrets. For example, that damned cat, Tora, is actually a ninneko, training the little genin's how to use teamwork. As for the forest of death, most jounin have to go through cleaning duty, scavenging and scouting the damn forest for intruders and abandoned weapons from exams like this. 'Naruto' knew the forest like the back of his hand. Anko caught the scoff and sent a kunai at Yoki. Yoki saw it coming but wasn't suppose to have the reflexes to dodge it, so he dodged, smiled at Anko, the went back to his original position and got cut on his cheek. Even though she saw the whole thing, Anko shunshined behind Yoki and licked the blood off his cheek.

"Hm...Your blood and chakra tastes familiar..."

She smirked as Yoki smirked behind his mask. He whispered back.

"Mind not blowing whole damn operation?"

"Well excuse me, blondie. Better not fuck up my test."

She went back to her original position, leaving behind mouth gaping genin. Apparently to them, she was fast. But to Yoki, she was slow as shit. Anko continued.

"It's little genin's like you, underestimating the forest, that get eaten first."

Yoki smiled again and tilted his head to the side, feigning innocence. Anko shaked her head.

"Alright, let's explain the rules for your second test."

* * *

an:/hai hai, wait a moment before telling me, "IT'S THE SAME AS THE SERIES! 0 points for originality!" Well hold your horses. I'm gonna add my own elements later!. This ain't Naruto or Naruto shippuden, this is Namikaze Legend! Alright. It's short again, but it seems I'm going through this thing going around among writers called writer's block. I don't know if it's contagious or if there's a vaccine, but it seems I have caught it. It's dreadful. But I don't want to disappoint my readers, so I've wracked at my brains so hard and this is what I came up with. Anyways, I've been listening to Pokapoka over and over again, watching Sasuke hit Itachi adorably (so damn cute). If you've watched that video, I'm sure you would agree. That and fukkireta, two very catchy songs. Alright. Tomorrow the poll will be over so vote fast. POLL IS IN PREVIOUS CHAPTER! Keep'em coming! You can always PM me if you don't want your vote in the reviews. No hateful review, okay? I feel like a bit of me dies on the inside every time someone's being a total prick on my reviews and giving RUDE comments. So helpful constructive reviews please. Alright, MATTA ASHITA!


	17. Chapter 17

an:/ I love you guys. 'nuff said.

* * *

"Alright, let's explain the rules for your second test."

The silence fell over the crowd as they waited from Anko to start. She put up her hands as a sign of waiting. The silence was broken with a echoing roar that was heard from inside the forest. Anko let out a malevolent grin.

"Fluffy's hungry..."

Yoki inwardly chuckled as the rest of the genin tensed up.

"Alright, now onto the rules. It's quite simple, actually. Set up, throughout the forest, are 22 warehouses labeled with their numbers. You will receive a map, but it won't show where the warehouses are, just the geography. In each warehouse, there is exactly one scroll. You need two scrolls, one earth and one heaven. Now remember, DO NOT OPEN THE SCROLLS UNTIL YOU'RE AT THE CENTER! Open them earlier and I'll personally kill you"

Anko held up two scrolls, one was blue with the Kanji "Heaven" and one green with the Kanji "earth". The genin all focused hard on the scrolls, memorizing it's specific color and the pattern of the cloth around it, in order to counter any genjutsu. A female genin called out.

"If there are only 22 warehouses, does that mean that only 11 teams will pass?"

"Correct, little girl! Only 11 of your poor excuses called teams will pass. And have I mentioned that, getting them from a warehouse isn't the only option, _taking them_ from other teams is a possibility. You will have exactly three days to complete this test."

Anko smirked as the genin started to shift around. The Akimichi heir, Chouji called out.

"If we are staying there for three days, what do we do for food?"

"Ha! There are plenty of creepy crawlies in this forest that are possible food...or your end."

Anko chuckled and turned around as the genin started murmuring among themselves.

"Anymore questions?...Good. Alright, there is a tent on your left that will hand out your map. Send out one person per team to acquire your map and other materials. You will also be given a gate number. Meet up with your team and walk over to your gate until further instruction."

Yoki looked at his group.

"I-I'll get the scroll. M-meet you later."

Yoki partially skipped away towards the tent, leaving the other three to talk among themselves.

"Hn, that Yoki guy is sketchy"

"Ha, tell me about it. He seems nice and all, but I feel like his timing is just too suspicious. I've never seen him at the academy or under any team. We can't really trust him."

"Guys! He's our teammate! Naruto-sensei introduced us to him, so there's nothing to be sketchy about. He might've been under an apprenticeship."

"Yeah, but he's got only academy graduate skills, and average on top of it. Why is he suddenly taking the chuunin exams? If he was under an apprenticeship, wouldn't it have shown up on his card? Wouldn't he be better?"

"Hn. The card may not have shown everything. But what I found odd was how he burned the card of Naruto-sensei before we could read his jutsus."

Sasuke was disappointed. If he was to get stronger, he would have to increase his jutsu arsenal. What better example to copy than the prodigy of Konoha, the Yondaime's son? Sakura interrupted his thoughts.

"Maybe because he's just loyal friend to Naruto-sensei."

"Che- maybe we're just over thinking."

"Yeah, guys. Calm down, nothing to worry about."

* * *

Yoki was listening in to his genin's conversation. He either really sucked at espionage or maybe it's just because the genins knew everyone in Konoha. Either way, he'd have to work better on his acting skills. What did he do wrong to have a bunch of genins catch his cover? Yoki sighed and left for the tent.

* * *

Yoki met up with his team and gave them the number for their gate. As they made their way around the field to Gate 45, Yoki looked at the other teams. A majority of them looked menacing but Yoki knew that they were probably all bark and no bite. A few of them, however, were definitely ones to look out for. One Kusagakure kunoichi caught his eye but he decided to brush it off. As Yoki turned his head to catch up with his team, the kunoichi twisted her neck in an almost inhuman way and looked at his team and and gave a psychotic grin.

Each gate was guarded by a chuunin that informed the genin what their next instructions. A bang would announce their entrance and at that point they would continue their test. They were left with thirty minutes to plan. Yoki took this to his advantage and called his team to a circle.

"U-Uh guys. We should plan this out."

The three genin looked at him like he grew a second head. It was almost as if Yoki declared himself team leader. It only aroused the same suspicions Sasuke and Konohamaru had earlier.

"Sure, Yoki"

"Hn."

"Alright, Yoki-kun."

The three genin walked up to Yoki and they all crouched down. Yoki started.

"N-Naruto-sensei taught me a bit of fuuinjutsu. When we get the scrolls, we can seal them into scrolls so the byakugan or any other doujutsu can't see them. It will limit the amount of attacks we have."

Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. Did Yoki think they were gonna let him have their scroll?

"-Sure, Yoki-kun. Sounds like a great idea!"

Konohamaru inwardly grimaced. How can Sakura trust him so easily?

"A-and uh, I know you guys may not trust me, b-but I assure you, I mean no harm!"

Yoki squeaked a bit, it wasn't really the affect he was hoping for but the effects were immediate.

"Aw, Yoki. Don't think that way! You're our nakama!"

"Hn. Sure, I guess. Though the real question is, why now? Why have you chosen to join our team now?"

Yoki's eyes narrowed. He felt a bit weird being 'interrogated' by his genin. He had to quickly think of a story before it was too late.

"I-I'm actually a refugee from the L-Land of Iron. My town was d-destroyed so I moved here around a month ago. I was able to learn some ninjutsu but I-I normally specialize in kenjutsu. My kenjutsu is excellent so I-I was able to get a special request with the hokage to take the chuunin exams."

"You're card said nothing about kenjutsu!"

"T-That's because the Hokage didn't have time to register me properly as a ninja so he checked off the b-bare minimum to be a genin. W-which brings me to my next topic. That Kabuto guy, he shouldn't have a-any of those information since they are village official information that only a select few can see them. H-He's a bit suspicious and we should be on the lookout."

"See guys? There was nothing to be suspicious of!"

Yoki inwardly chastised. _Oh yes, there is and you're not even aware of it._

"Hn. I have to admit, that Kabuto character is a bit off. What do you guys suggest we do?"

"Kick his ass, that's what."

"That's not really a suggestion, Konohamaru-kun."

"S-Sakura's right. I-I think this w-whole test is just fishy."

Yoki thought that if there was an issue with this test, at least his genin should know about it.

"What do you mean, Yoki-kun?"

"T-There are some suspicious people that call themselves genin. W-we should stay on our toes."

"Alright, you four, get ready, you're time is up."

The chuunin walked up to the four and placed his hands on Yoki and Konohamaru's shoulders.

"Good luck, you guys. Show how kickass Konohagakure's genin are,_ even if you're a refugee._-"

The chuunin winked at Yoki, then smiled at the four genin.

"But most of all, make us proud. Are you ready?"

The four genin nodded and smiled back. They walked up to the gate. The gate was chainlink and had barbed wire at the top. There was a waiting box, a door metal door on the outside and another on the other side. The chuunin walked into the box with them and locked the door behind him. A flare appeared at the top of the training grounds then a large bang. The chuunin unlocked the doors and the four genin sprang out, leaving the chuunin in the dust of their speed.

The chuunin smiled, then put his hands to a seal, undoing a jutsu. The chuunin poofed from existence and was replaced with the Yondaime Hokage. He smiled, wishing his son and his team all the luck.

His face dropped though a few seconds later, turning into a hardened expression. If what his son was saying was correct, Konoha had a snake to exterminate along with an assistant and army.

* * *

Yoki sprang off with the rest of his team, smiling. How could he not recognize the chakra of the 'chuunin'? Twelve years around that old dog has bound to get some recognition. The four genins halted in the tree tops and circled around. Konohamaru took out the map and rolled it out.

"Alright guys, we need to find a warehouse, and we need to find it fast. If we don't get the scrolls in three days, we're out of the game. What's gonna be our game plan, Sakura."

"Alright, if there are 22 warehouses, they should be spread out evenly throughout the grounds. My guess is that they are within a mile radius of each other and the border. If my calculations are correct, we should be within three fourth's of a mile to at least one."

"I-I can pinpoint one if you'd like."

"Alright, Yoki. Do your thing."

Yoki went through several hand seals. He had learn this jutsu on his trip when he ran into a few Iwa nins. He was spying on them and when they went though these seals, they were able to sense where he was like a sonar. He would've been frozen in awe if it wasn't for the Iwa nin attacking him, thinking he was his father.

_Douton: Chikyuu no Hansha, Hankyouteii!_

Yoki sent out a pulse of chakra around his surroundings. The wave bounced off and returned to him.

"2 o'clock, 1 klick away."

The genin nodded then jumped in the direction Yoki pointed out. As they approached twenty feet away, they looked behind the branches at the now visible warehouse.

It was a rather plain building, but modern compared to the rest of Konoha. The warehouse was cubic, completely made out of cement. In bold white, the number 13 was etched across the wall. There was a steel door next to the number. Konohamaru looked at Yoki and signed to him to use the jutsu again. Yoki made the same hand seals and whispered out the jutsu again.

_Douton: Chikyuu no Hansha, Hankyouteii!_

Yoki let the information come back to him and his eyes snapped open. He signed to the other genin.

_"Three other teams headed this way, wait and watch"_

As Yoki said, several seconds later, a team of Kumo genin entered the clearing. One had light blue hair with a face that looked punched in. The other had a light blond greasy hair that came down to his shoulder. The last one was a red haired girl that had sharp green eyes. The blue haired genin shouted.

"Well whaddaya know! This is a piece of cake! There's no one here!"

"It seems Konoha has gotten soft with their exams. If it were Kumo, a huge summon would have eaten us by now." The red headed added.

"Heh, comes to show how much better Kumo is to this dump." The blonde sneered.

Konohamaru's fists tightened and Yoki placed his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder and squeezed. Konohamaru relaxed a bit but didn't keep his eyes off the Kumo nin. The watched as the three in the clearing walked up casually to the warehouse. The blue haired grabbed the handle of the door and yanked.

"Man! They bolted the damn thing shut! How the hell are we suppose to get it open?"

The blonde banged on the door, waiting a few moments. The Redhead took out a sword. Yoki could see she wasn't adept at it by the amateur way she held the katana. She swiped at the door but the Katana was deflected off the steel door, leaving a spark at the contact. The blue stuck an explosive tag at the door and the three darted away. The huge explosion was followed by a large thunk which was presumably the door. The smoke began to dissipate and the Kumo nin walked up.

"That did the job."

They took a step forward before several things darted out of the warehouse. When everything settled, there was a giant shuriken lodged in the chest of the blonde genin and seven figures lined up outside the warehouse entrance. The figures stood up straight, revealing identical konoha nin dressed in chuunin outfits. Yoki signalled to the rest of his teammates.

_"Puppets."_

The other two Kumo nin got into stance. The blue haired took out a kunai while the Redhead posed her sword. The two genin engaged with the seven figures but were immediately taken down. No matter how many stabs and slices the Kumo got on the enemy, the figures wouldn't falter which only proved Yoki's theory. Yoki held his hands up again, then signed.

_"We have to get in there quick, another team closing in .75 klicks."_

The other four genin nodded, swallowing hard at the sight of the dead Kumo genin. Yoki summoned a Tanto, swiping behind a few of the figures, watching them fall to the grown in a heap of wood and clothes. The other three did the same, taking out the last three. Sasuke paused at the door and held his hand up to the rest of the group. Sasuke walked into the warehouse followed by Konohamaru. Yoki and Sakura stayed outside for lookout.

Sasuke and Konohamaru entered the warehouse and came in contact with a chuunin. He nodded at them and walked over to a table and handed them an earth scroll. The chuunin shunshined away, causing the lifeless puppets to disappear as well. The two walked out of the warehouse to find Yoki and Sakura.

When they came out, they saw Sakura and Yoki engaged with three Kiri genin. At that moment, Yoki slashed at one of them, successfully taking him out.

"We want your scroll! Give it to us!"

Yoki swiped at him too but the Kiri nin dodged. Sakura was engaged in a taijutsu match with the other Kiri kunoichi. They exchanged blows but Sakura couldn't keep up. Sakura shot out a wheel kick but the kunoichi ducked under and tried to a sweeping kick. Sakura jumped up and prepared an ax kick that was then blocked and shoved off. As Sakura backflipped away, the Kunoichi pulled out a kunai and did a downward diagonal strike as Sakura landed only for Sakura to dodge and roundhouse kick the girl away. This gave enough time for Yoki to yell out switch. Sasuke and Konohamaru quickly engaged Yoki's previous opponent as Yoki appeared in front of the Kiri kunoichi and delivered a flying thrust kick the girls face. She was launched into the tree a few meters away and she slumped to the floor, motionless. Yoki turned around Sakura and smiled. Yoki left to inspect both Kiri nin he took down for the scroll. He smirked as he pulled out a Heaven scroll from the Kunoichi's back pocket.

"Look what we've got here, guys. Team Naruto, let's move out!"

The Kiri nin Sasuke and Konohamaru was previously engaged with let out a string of curses, charging at Yoki with full intent to kill. Yoki straightened up and looked at the boy and narrowed his eyes. As the boy closed in, right as the boy cocked back his kunai back, ready to strike at Yoki's throat, he paused. He started straight into Yoki's eyes with his own wide ones. Blood began to trickle out of his mouth as his eyes slowly dropped to his chest. The boy let out a cough filled with blood. Yoki traced his eyesight down to where the boy was looking. Yoki had his Tanto dug hilt deep into the cavity of his chest, piercing through his lungs and heart. The boy's eyes rolled back as Yoki drew back a little and shoved the boy off his Tanto. Yoki looked at his blade, then flicked the blood off his blade with a flick of the wrist. He sheathed the blade then looked at his clothes. The Yoki looked unfazed at the amount of blood splattered on him, smearing a little on his mask as he pushed his glasses up. His fellow teammates looked at him, shocked beyond words. Yoki looked at them and said in stoically.

"After you see war, you're never the same. Let's go."

Yoki sealed the scrolls into another scroll of his own and sealed it into a seal on his skin. The genin remained quiet, letting the sound of Yoki move echoed through the clearing. The boy shuffled and pointed in the direction they had to go and moved out. The genin silently followed.

* * *

The rest of the time, the whole trip had been silent. Yoki lead the group to the center where the rendezvous was. Sasuke's eyes were narrowed, but was mostly unbothered by the earlier display. What made that Yoki kid that indifferent to killing? Konohamaru was thinking along the same lines, but he also questioned whether he would be as emotionless as well. Sakura was on the verge of tears from just the event herself. She was so stuck at the event she couldn't question anything. The three genin's thoughts came to a halt as Yoki stopped, holding his hand out for the rest to follow. They all landed next to Yoki on the branch. The looked up in time to see Yoki's eyes widen into panic.

"G-Guys, RUN!"

* * *

after researching, I've realized that clicks are actually spelled klicks, whoops.

NEXT CHAP IS ALREADY OUT

Douton: Chikyuu no Hansha, Hankyouteii!-earth style: Earth's reflection, echolocation

-

an:/ ya'll thought I'll just leave you with one chapter after an entire weekend off? Haha, I'm not that bad. Just gave a fake cliffhanger.


	18. Chapter 18

an:/ Aight, it was a bit hard making this fight interesting, I'm not much of a describer but more of a visual person (all the drawings ^.^) I'll actually be putting some pictures of characters from my story soon so see my deviantart! (ID is on my profile) ALright, lets go!

* * *

"G-Guys, RUN!"

The three genin disperse but not before Yoki was impaled with a shooting sword. Yoki fell to the forest floor as Sakura let out a whimper. Sasuke looked back to his other teammates.

"Guys! Let's get to the center as fast as possible! We need to get there together and warn a jounin-"

"Sorry, Uchiha Sasuke-kun, my business is with you~"

Sasuke snapped his head back forward and saw a Kusa kunoichi standing on a branch.

"Ha! Like one of you can take all three of us! What happened to your team anyway? Got killed in the warehouse?" Sasuke sneered.

The Kusa nin let out a bone chilling laugh. The kunoichi let out a huge amount of killer intent and smirked at the genin, who were frozen. Sakura felt her knees collapsing from under her.

"Those other little genin?_ I killed them_. As for taking_ you_ on? I think I can manage."

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_

The kunoichi slammed her hands on the branch, letting out a huge poof under the tree. The cloud dissipated revealing a huge purple snake.

"Get the teammates."

The kunoichi charged at Sasuke who immediately blocked with a kunai as the summon charged for Konohamaru and Sakura. Sakura couldn't move as she was still recovering from the killer intent the kunoichi had released._ She's definitely not a genin_. Konohamaru started panicking as Sakura wouldn't move. The snake was closing in on the two and Konohamaru was starting to lose ideas on how to counter or evade. Konohamaru squeezed his eyes and felt his body move on impulse.

Sakura almost snapped out of her stupor but it was too late. She watched as Konohamaru shoved her really hard and took her place. She watched for a moment as time almost slowed down to a stop. Konohamaru saw Sakura's eyes go wide before he closed his eyes again. The snake head crashed into the spot Konohamaru was before and Konohamaru was launched several meters away and then crashed against a tree trunk. Konohamaru dropped to the ground in a thump, motionless in the dust around him. Sakura screamed.

"KONOHAMARU~!"

The snake turned to Sakura who began to tear up. She started scuffling away on her bottom, pushing as hard as possible with her leg to put some distance. But it was all for naught when the snake was gaining on her too. She felt so useless. All those training with Rin, Rei, and Naruto were going to waste on some useless kunoichi. Sakura started to cry. She felt like at this point, all there was left to do was accept death. With the resources she had at the moment, she couldn't beat the summon with all the taijutsu and ninjutsu she learned.

_I just wish I could have seen all my Senseis again. I wish I could have saved my teammates with my new medic jutsus. I wish that I could have lived longer to enjoy life. I wish I could've seen Namikaze Naruto one more time. I guess life is just too cruel._

She let out one last cry as the Snake dove for her.

"NARUTO~!"

-

Sasuke took his eyes off of the Kunoichi for a moment to see the snake dive for his teammate.

"Don't take your eyes off me, Sasuke-kun~"

Sasuke was punched violently in the stomach, launching him several feet away. He kawarimi as the Kunoichi went for another hit, successfully destroying the log, he kawarimi with, into splinters.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Sasuke-kun~" a voice came from behind.

Sasuke swiped his kunai behind him only to catch air. Sasuke was getting frustrated. How come he couldn't land a hit? All he was doing was dodging and taking hits. The kunoichi had no openings and her hits were really hard. The kunoichi appeared above him, kicking the branch Sasuke on into smithereens. Sasuke landed at another tree, using chakra to attach himself to the trunk of the tree. He looked at his surroundings, trying to spot the kunoichi. He inwardly cursed.

His training was suppose to make him stronger, not weaker!

Sasuke's thoughts were cut short when his back was punched really hard. Sasuke started heading towards the forest floor at incredible speeds. Sasuke flipped and skidded down the trunk, trying to slow himself down. He pumped chakra into his feet and landed on the ground with a huge explosion. The ground underneath Sasuke caved in, causing a dust cloud to cover Sasuke. Sasuke's legs couldn't take the strain and he collapsed on one knee at the center of the crater.

He'll just have to use_ that_.

-

Sakura closed her eyes as she waited for her end. She waited a few moments but nothing happened, she opened one eye then opened the other to look up.

"Sakura-chan, be strong, okay? Go heal Konohamaru."

Sakura started crying as she saw Yoki's back who was stopping the snake with one hand.

"Y-yoki, you're alive!"

Yoki grimaced as he felt the weight of the snake go into his hands again. His hair color started to flicker. Sakura was taken back.

"Y-Yoki?"

Yoki let out a wince as his hair continued to flicker from black to blonde. Yoki gave up, the genjutsu was going to take unnecessary chakra anyways. He let the genjutsu down, allowing the blond color to dominate.

""Yok-Naruto?"

Naruto turned around to Sakura and smiled.

"Yo, Sakura-chan. Hang in there okay?"

"Naruto-sensei! What are you doing?"

"No time, go heal Konohamaru while I deal with this snake."

Sakura nodded and ran off to where Konohamaru was. Naruto turned back to the snake.

"Now what shall we do with you?"

Naruto cocked his fist back and bunched the snake full on the nose. The snake vibrated, scrunching it's tail in as it thrashed at the pain. Naruto quickly unsealed his Inari katana and got into a stance. He pumped in chakra to his blade and leapt towards the snake, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Naruto slashed an upwards diagonal only to be blocked by the snake's fangs. The two were caught in a lock as they fought to overpower the other. Naruto pumped in more chakra to his blade and to his feet. He watched as the ground give way underneath him, causing the floor to crack. He looked up to the fang as a drop of green substance began to roll off the elongated fang. The drop fell to the ground and dissolved, leaving a sizzling sound and a burnt hole where it was before. Naruto frowned and looked up as the green substance started to gush out of the fang.

Naruto shot back causing the snake to slam its teeth into the ground. Naruto stabbed his katana into the ground and started speeding through hand seals.

_Douton: Chikyuu no ketsueki Keimusho_

Several spikes erupted from the ground, stabbing the snake throughout the it's body. The snake let out a shrill scream as it launched its head back in pain. Naruto smirked but stopped when he noticed a majority of the spikes broke off, unable to pierce the snake's scales. Naruto frowned and Hiraishin on the tip of the nose. He ax kicked the snake's head causing it to smash to the ground again. He flew another set of hand seals.

_Raiton: Seiteki Unagi Shougeki!_

Naruto slammed his hands down on the snake then back flipped away, grabbing his sword out of the ground as he skid away on the floor. The snake was then shaking violently, screaming a blood curdling scream, as lighting coursed through its body. It slumped to the floor, leaving Naruto panting a bit in the clearing.

"Gee, that genjutsu got me worn out."

Naruto proceeded to put the Katana on his back and look towards Sasuke. He watched as the Kusa nin attack the Uchiha mercilessly. Naruto's focus was disrupted when the earth began to shake again. Naruto whipped his head around but it was too late, the snake swallowed Naruto whole.

Inside the snake, Naruto let out a string of curses as he felt the throat of the snake push against him. It was absolutely disgusting as he watched bodies of dead animals and humans pass by him. Naruto started to think of a plan to get out but none of them didn't involve him getting hurt. He wracked his brains for an idea. Naruto smirked when he got one.

On the outside, Sakura started to hyperventilate. She got Konohamaru in a stable state, breathing with a few sore ribs that were broken before. But when she looked up, she saw Naruto get swallowed whole. She saw Sasuke get launched into a tree, successfully taking down the tree and letting a bleeding Sasuke jump to another. She looked back at the snake but was taken back when it violently expanded.

The snake lurched forward as it's abdomen was suddenly expanded. It paused a moment before expanding again. In one last pause, the snake was violently ripped apart as hundreds of Naruto clones spilled out with the organs. The clones all poofed out, leaving Naruto on the floor among the blood and innards around him. Naruto gagged a little when he took a dead rat off him and sat up. Sakura ran over to him to see if he was okay. He brushed himself off and softly pushed Sakura to the side.

"I'm okay, keep healing Konohamaru. I've got a snake to kill."

Naruto stood up and started weaving through hand seals again. He let out a pulse of chakra that gave a gust of wind around him. The chakra burst shot through the sky and disrupted in a large bang. Naruto then looked at the Kunoichi Sasuke was fighting with. He hiraishin from his spot.

-

Sasuke was struggling to keep up as his legs started to fail him. The fall from earlier was catching up to him. His chakra was at a bare minimum and was only getting smaller. He'd use up his jutsu's he learned from Naruto.

_flashback_

_"I guess I'll have to use__** that**__."_

_The boy quickly made a hand seal and yelled._

_"Kai!" _

_Four seals appeared on his wrists and legs and instantly glowed blue. They shattered, dispersing the blue chakra around his arms and legs. Sasuke slowly drew his hands up. In a blur, his hands started forming hand seals. _

_**Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu**__! _

_He raised his hands to his mouth and blew a fireball. The fireball charged towards the Kusa nin._

_"Ku-ku-ku. That's it, Sasuke-kun! Show me what you've got. Although I have to say, Itachi-kun made a bigger one before."_

_Sasuke growled in rage as the Kunoichi dodged the ball and flipped back gracefully on a branch. Sasuke launched kunai and shuriken at her, all to be dodged and deflected. Sasuke flew through another set of hand seals._

_**Raiton: Kaminari Suzume!**_

_The boy shot the sparrow out, missing the Kusa nin completely. _

_"Ku-ku-ku, you're going to have to aim better-"_

_The nin was interrupted with the lighting sound didn't go away. The kunoichi turned her head to see that the bird had lodged itself on a kunai next to the nin.__** He must have planted that from the previous barrage**__. The nin launched herself away from the branch just as the whole tree sparked with lightning. The bird dissipated and the kunoichi landed on a branch nearby. The kusa nin launched herself at him and engaged in another battle of taijutsu._

_end flashback_

Sasuke was running low on chakra thanks to the whole fight being on the trees. His father didn't really spend time with him and chakra control so he couldn't hold on for much longer. He lifted his head up to take in his surroundings. There was a pulse of chakra around him but was quickly gone as fast as it came. He felt a presence behind him and so he whipped his head around. He came in contact with the Kusa kunoichi.

"Sa-su-ke-kun~ You're not as strong as you think. Maybe I should just end your miserable life from this shame. Itachi could do better."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. How dare he mention Itachi in front of him! Sasuke was about to sprint forward but the Kusa nin's shocked face stopped him. In a split second, the kusa nin was split in half. Behind the two halves was Naruto with his blade mid slice. Before the body had time to fully split, Naruto moved and drove his blade past the head of Sasuke, who was now frozen in fear. Sasuke's eyes slowly followed where Naruto's blade was aimed at and saw the Kusa nin barely millimeters away from the edge of the katana. The kunoichi's face was cut across the nose and cheek, skin dangling off her chin, revealing paler, more masculine, skin. Sasuke looked back at the previous body that was split and saw that they had become mud._ Mud clones!_

"Ku-ku-ku, what do we have here? A windy whirlpool?"

"Namikaze Naruto, at your service." Naruto sneered.

Naruto swiped his feet in front of him, tripping Sasuke off his feet, causing the Uchiha to lose balance on the branch. Naruto took this chance and flipped his blade at the Kunoichi, missing Sasuke's head by a hair length as the Uchiha fell. Sasuke fell off the branch and headed towards the floor. He was caught by a clone of Naruto and who had set him near Konohamaru before dispelling itself. The original started a barrage of slices towards the Kunoichi.

"Let's cut the crap, shall we,_ Orochimaru-chan_."

"You're a thousand years too early to be calling me that,_ Inari-boy_"

"I'm glad my moniker has reached even the likes of you. I hope my record doesn't scare you off"

"Don't worry, Inari-boy, that little bingo entry of yours has nothing on mine."

The two shinobi exchanged banters as fast as they exchanged blows, each blow deflected and countered. Naruto launched his blade to the side, catching Orochimaru off guard for a second. During that opening, Naruto delivered a palm-heel strike to the Sannin's chest, launching the snake through several trees.

"Ah-ah, Orochimaru-kun. Don't tell me your old bones are failing you now. I'd hate to stop your endeavors to live forever now at the pity state you're in. Tell me, Orochimaru-kun. How's that going for ya? Still transferring bodies, slowly letting your soul rot? You know that seal won't last forever."

The sannin growled as he got up before smirking.

"You seem to know a lot, Inari-boy. If you're telling me about my seal, it seems you have taken interest in my research-"

"-and it seems you lack a sense of humor. Think I don't know what you're after and your crazy research? I think you're one sick bastard and that what you're attempting to achieve is nothing but an empty, worthless, nightmare. It won't end well for you."

"You don't know if you don't try-"

" If you see a bridge, you won't know how much it hurts to jump off until you do. So how about it, Rochi-kun. Want to jump off a bridge for me? You won't know if you don't try..."

"Che- Inari-boy. Didn't your mother teach you to treat your elders with respect" Orochimaru spat.

"Yeah, she also told me not to associate myself with strangers, especially the ones that look like they would like to rape you..."

Orochimaru growled as Naruto chuckled a bit, flipping his sword around his hand for good measure.

"You're a rude little boy. Here, let me teach you some-MANNERS!"

Orochimaru launched himself at Naruto who nimbly dodged, delivering a roundhouse kick to Orochimaru's back.

"You may think you're fast, but you're a thousand years too early to compete with me in speed."

With that said, Naruto flashed out of existence, shocking the Sannin. Orochimaru looked around, trying to spot the boy.

"Below, Rochi-kun"

Orochimaru looked down to see Naruto crouched, fist cocked back. Naruto shot his hand up, making contact with the throat of Orochimaru, effectively crushing the Sannin's windpipe. The blonde jumped away as soon as the Sannin melted to mud. Naruto went wide eyed as a fist went right through the clone and into his stomach. Naruto lurched back, coughing up spit. Naruto was launched back, into a tree trunk. Naruto began to fall to the ground before he hiraishined to a branch. Naruto paused a moment before being engaged in another barrage of blows from the Snake. They jumped off and collided in air, catching themselves in a lock. Naruto launched himself another meter away as another Orochimaru drove up from below with a blade stuck in his mouth, piercing the clone.

"Ah, bringing out the Kusanagi blade, Rochi-kun? I didn't think you'd take a twelve year old that seriously."

"Ku-ku-ku, who said it was for you?"

With that, Orochimaru snapped his neck to the side, launching the sword out towards the bottom of the forest floor. Naruto watched as the blade made its way down. Shit! The genin! Naruto flashed, hoping to catch the blade before it made it's destination.

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't catch the blade, watching in absolute horror as the blade made its way into Sakura's body from behind. Sakura spat out a choke before collapsing to the floor.

Naruto landed next to Sakura, grabbing hold of her and laying her gently down on the floor. Naruto clenched his fists and turned to Orochimaru, tears in his eyes. Naruto's eyes flickered red before completely changing into blood red eyes with slit pupils.

"Y-you're dead."

Naruto immediately disappeared from his previous spot, followed by a large boom. Orochimaru watched, wide eyed as the blonde he was fighting, reach the physical barrier a human could travel without jutsu._ He broke the damn sound barrier!_ The only other person who could achieve this speed was Minato who didn't use it as much because of the dead-giveaway explosion sound. Orochimaru's thoughts were interrupted as something forcefully rammed itself into his abdomen, launching him several meters away.

Orochimaru couldn't catch a break as he saw Naruto appear in front of him, launching several suckerpunches causing him to rise in the air before being shot up really fast. Naruto appeared above him in his flight, slamming down on him with both hands. Orochimaru rocketed to the floor, causing an explosion as he made contact with the ground. Orochimaru got out and shot multiple fireballs at him.

_Katon- Goukakyuu no jutsu!_

Naruto dodged each the first four but was caught directly in the fifth, launching his charred self into another tree. Naruto had a cut in his side, ripped through his trench coat and chainmail shirt. His sleeves were burnt off with second degree burns etched all over his arms. His mask and glasses were long gone, showing his whiskers and dark garnet eyes. Naruto started sprouting a tail made of chakra with a cloak. His whisker marks got darker and more feral as his canines elongated. His nails turned to claws and his hair became spikier and wild. He let out a growl but whimpered was he flinched. Naruto collapsed on one knee grabbing his sides. He quickly recovered and jumped to the ground. Midair, Naruto heard something

**Oi, Kit. If you keep this up, you'll sprout another tail. The more tails you sprout, the less sane you become without proper training. Calm down or you might kill your other genin.**

Naruto's attention snapped towards the voice._ The kyuubi!_

_Alright, how do I shut you out fast enough?_

**Listen up, shot out your chakra like you did in the previous jutsu you did, that chakra flare. But only do it to the kyuubi chakra or you might exhaust yourself.**

Naruto made a hand seal and closed his eyes. He charged up then shot out his chakra. The disruption of chakra caused a large gust of wind to spread out in all directions, causing the massive treats in the forest to bend back, away from him.

**Good job, Kit. Now kill that snake.**

_On it, Kyuubi_

Naruto snapped his eyes open and looked around to take in his surroundings. Most of his vision was blurred from the smoke and dust. As the clouds began to clear out, Naruto looked towards his genin. His eyes went wide as he saw Sasuke, clawing at his throat, as Orochimaru suspended the Uchiha by his neck. The sannin elongated his neck and bared his fangs at Sasuke's back. Naruto raced towards the two, hoping to make it in time. The fangs sunk into Sasuke's shoulder, forming a seal, just as Naruto rammed his fist into Orochimaru's neck, giving off a large snap. Sasuke was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, now clutching his shoulder in pain. The Sannin melted into mud and Naruto cursed.

"Kuso!"

A voice rang out through the forest.

"I see you called your ANBU dogs, Inari-boy. But you're never going to beat a Sannin at your level. Remember that, Kitsune. Ku-ku-ku"

Naruto unleashed a burst of chakra and growled out before yelling.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU DAMNED SNAKE! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Naruto's eyes started pulsing red but subsided when Naruto no longer felt the vomit inducing chakra nearby. At that moment, fifteen ANBU and the Yondaime Hokage shunshined where he was. Three medic nin ran over to where the genin were and the Yondaime walked up to Naruto.

"I got your flare. Are we too late?"

Naruto looked at his father, nodding before collapsing, letting his world go black right after seeing his father try to catch him.

-

The yondaime helped his son's body down to the floor, asking the medic to help him. An ANBU approached the Hokage.

"Sir, it's been confirmed. There are signs of the Sannin, Orochimaru, present in this forest area. If I may speak out of terms, I am thoroughly impressed that your son was able to hold out for so long."

"Thank you, Rat. Though, I'm not too sure Orochimaru was even trying. Based on the geography of this place, the snake didn't go all out. He didn't even summon Manda."_ Probably saving it for later._

The ANBU almost flinched at what the Yondaime was saying. Rat thought that the clearing around them showed an intense battle. If Rat interpreted what the Yondaime said properly, Namikaze Naruto held out extremely well even if the Snake was just toying with him. The Yondaime continued.

"-That being said, Naruto wasn't going all out either."

The ANBU let his jaw drop beneath his mask. A twelve year old did this much damage and still wasn't going all out? It was unheard of. The ANBU quickly dismissed himself and left to tell the other ANBU of this incredible feat. Minato continued to look down at Naruto. A medic came up to him and said all three genin were now in stable condition. Yondaime summed up that Naruto was just out of commission because of the Kyuubi's chakra, not that the others would need to know. The medic nin just tried to heal the cut on Naruto's side,which was already being healed by the Kyuubi. Minato inwardly laughed because he wasn't quite sure if he should thank the fuzzball or hate him. Minato turned heel and walked off to the other ANBU for report.

-

Naruto snapped his eyes opened and darted his eyes around to look at his surroundings. He closed them again and sensed that his back was propped up against a tree. He felt someone put their hand on his shoulder. He instinctively grabbed a kunai and almost flung it at the 'assailant'. He opened his eyes when his wrist was caught. He saw his father and immediately dropped his guard.

"T-tou-san"

"It's okay, Naruto."

"M-My genin? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, we healed them."

"How long was I out?"

"Just an hour."

"We need to get to the center, we've got our scrolls."

"Already? Alright, well, we're going to leave now. That snake isn't going to show up anytime soon. I'll see you at the center, alright? Bye, Naruto"

"See ya, Tou-san"

Minato and the ANBU shunshined out leaving him and his group alone. He watched as a barrier dissolved around him. _Genjutsu and a barrier, huh._ Naruto got up, wincing a little after his muscles felt sore. He walked over to his genin and watched them all propped up against a tree. He shook each one awake. They slowly woke up. After a few moments, Konohamaru jolted up.

"W-where am I?"

"Calm down, Konohamaru. We just survived an attack from Orochimaru."

"Naruto-sensei? What are you doing here? Where's Yoki? Is he dead? And Orochimaru? What was he doing here? What about the Kusa Kunoichi?" Konohamaru started rambling.

Naruto placed his hands on Konohamaru's shoulder.

"Calm down. First off, I'll relay everything you need to know when we reach the center. Pick up Sasuke, I'll get Sakura."

Konohamaru got up and picked up the groggy Uchiha.

"Awake, Sasuke?"

"hn. W-what happened?"

"Naruto-nii will explain it later. Let's go"

Konohamaru hefted the Uchiha up then jumped to the trees. Naruto picked up Sakura and followed suit. They made it to the center in record time, literally. They set the new record of five hours for the second exam (still including the fight with Orochimaru). Naruto put his henge back on at 0.1 klicks and they entered the building. At the large lobby, 'Yoki' opened the two scrolls. He quickly dropped them and hopped away. A poof appeared as two people were unsealed. Anko shot out of the cloud, kunai posed for a strike.

"YOU DARE OPEN IT EARL-what?"

Anko paused midway and looked around to see herself in the center lobby.

"Anko, please refrain from scaring the bejeezus out of the genin."

Iruka walked out of the smoke, putting his hand on Anko's shoulder.

"I didn't expect them to finish the test. Damn 'Yoki'"

Yoki chuckled as Iruka looked at Yoki in a suspicious way. It was the same genin he had doubts about in the written portion. The fact that his group finished first only made him more suspicious. Anko, however, was completely relaxed, smacking Yoki on the back really hard.

"Good job, 'Yoki'-kun."

"Anko-chan, no need. The genin already know it's me."

"Alrighty then, come on, no need for the genjutsu, blondie."

Iruka lifted his eyebrow. Genjutsu? Blondie? Naruto dropped the genjutsu and his mask and glasses disappeared, brown hair to blonde. Iruka's eyes went wide as his past student appeared.

"Yo, Iruka-sensei."

"Naruto! Aren't you Jounin already? What's the big idea with this whole chuunin exams, then?"

"I'm undercover. I've never really took the chuunin exams so I decided it would do us some good for a really good genin in the finals."

Iruka knew very well what Naruto meant. The finals wasn't really much of an examination but more of an advertisement. Daimyos and Kages are present along with other influential people. Having a prodigious genin in your village could bring in lots of clientele. If Naruto posed as a genin, a genin at jounin level could easily bring in more. Call it cheating and what not, but Naruto had a valid point. And let's not forget he's undercover. Why is he undercover, anyways?

"Undercover? What for?"

Naruto's eyes darted around.

"We're under attack. Our group encountered the Sannin, Orochimaru. Thank kami, I was there."

Naruto quickly placed his genjutsu back on and looked back. Everyone followed suit and looked at the doorway. A few seconds later, the door opened revealing the Suna team. They stepped forward and joined the group. The red head in the center spoke first.

"We're done, now what."

Anko would have laughed if not for the amount of blood splattered all over the redhead. She gave a grin.

"What do we have here? A clown? Well you're not done yet but you can wait in the waiting rooms several floors up. Third floor for Suna. Don't piss anyone off, alright?"

The redhead turned to the side and the other two followed. Naruto dropped the genjutsu again and turned to Konohamaru.

"By the way, good job trying to find about that guy from Kabuto. At least you attempted to get _valuable_ information for the_ test_ rather than silly information about your sensei and teammate who, by the way, are the same person."

Sasuke looked away while Konohamaru stood straighter, beaming. Naruto continued.

"You have to look out for him. He's not someone you will want to fight later on. Hopefully you won't encounter him in the next round. Alright, go to the fourth floor to rest, I'll meet you up there later."

The genin saluted and left. Naruto turned to Anko and Iruka.

"We've got a serious problem on our hands. Bring me to the Hokage, immediately."

-  
an:/ALRIGHT IT'S LATE. I know. But lately, my teachers have been giving me a pool of homework to swim in. Updating these two chapters I have been working on at 1am is the best I can do to appease the riots. Kabuto's decision has been decided however, if you'd like to slip in a few more votes, you can. JiKAN! The prelims!

jutsu in order of appearance:

Earth style: Earth's blood prison (I think so, I kind of closed out translator before I could remember the exact meaning)

Lighting style: Static eel shock

a few great fireballs were shot here and there, but since you already know what they mean, bah, oh well. Some already used jutsus are in there

kuchiyose is just a summoning

I think that covers it...


	19. Chapter 19

an:/ Sorry for another slow update. I've been busy lately, or more like distracted. I've had test after test. That and the fact that I have found my new pairing obsession...KakaNaru...and no, not the yaoi. I'm talking about Naruko, rule 63 of Naruto. Oh god, Naru and Kakashi are just probably the best pairing. Pairing Kakashi is really hard (though I've already matched him with Rin in this story and read stories of him with Anko) because there's not many characters alive at the moment (in the series) that really match his..um...type? Adding a new character, Naruko, to the mix, that could do stuff. Naruko, being an illegitimate character, you can add your own components. Like how I can choose what Reno and Rei do, cuz they be my orig characters, mofos...just kidding. But of all seriousness, having an original character opens many doors ;)  
Alright, on to the story that I have held off from you all.

* * *

Naruto entered the makeshift office at the top floor of the center. When he walked in, the jounin and ANBU around him started murmuring as Naruto made his way to the desk. He looked up to see his father, dawning a serious face.

"Naruto...got anything to share with us?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he caught the message.

"Today at 1016 hours, my genin team encountered none other than one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru."

Naruto paused as the murmurs around the room grew louder. He continued.

"At the time of the attack, I was an undercover agent posing as a genin, under the name of Aoba Yoki."

"Continue"

"'Yoki' was attacked first, taking a sword to the stomach that was launched from a 70 degree angle from the ground at a velocity of 60 mph. 'Yoki' was taken out, leaving the three other genin, Uchiha Sasuke, Sarutobi Konohamaru, and Haruno Sakura, to fend for themselves against a supposed Kusagakure kunoichi, 1.75 meters tall, 60 kilograms."

A couple of tokubetsu jounin were impressed at the detail of the report while the ANBU were unfazed. ANBU were forced to take note of details like this as they may hold valuable information on the opponent or situation. Minato nodded and Naruto continued.

"I was able to kawarimi and watch from afar as to what the 'kunoichi' wanted. The target is the heir of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke."

A few murmurs spread around the room again as there was a few Uchihas in the room at the moment.

"Uchiha was engaged in combat with the Sannin as I took care of the summon Orochimaru had summoned to kill my other two genin. After the summon was dispatched, I intercepted the combat and sent Sasuke off to my only medic on the team, Haruno. After a few hits here and there-"

The ANBU that were present at the battlefield sweatdropped. A few hits? It was more like an all out battle.

"-Orochimaru, uh-"

"Alright, Naruto. You can stop there. Anyways, after Namikaze Naruto's battle, the Sannin escaped."

Naruto knew why he couldn't finish. Letting the rest of the jounins know about the sealing could arise some jounins in the room started to whispers as the ANBU shifted awkwardly. Minato looked up with his sharp calculating eyes.

"With a threat like this, we cannot be laidback. The chuunin exams will have shinobi from all five elemental nations. If one gets hurt because of us, and it's not part of the exams, the shit will hit the fan. And by my calculations, the attack will more than likely occur during the finals."

Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai narrowed their eyes. Their students are not going to be in danger just because some snake rapist decides to break hell loose. A nameless ANBU stood up.

"What do you propose we do, Hokage-sama"

"I've ceased the flow of missions, allowing all shinobi to return to the village so that we are at full force. Well, not ceased, but eased it down so it won't be suspicious. At the moment, we have 10,000 shinobi in the village. Allowing some of the shinobi to return home for the finals, we will have around 11,800 total. That being said, we will not suddenly increase patrol considering they are already in the village. The Tsuchikage and the Kazekage will be there so the foreign shinobi will already be on tighter patrol. Not that we're relying too heavily on them, but I don't want Orochimaru to know that we know. Surprise will help us."

Nara Shikaku walked up.

"Surprises are helpful indeed. I'll be strategist for this upcoming invasion. We're at a slight advantage considering we are more familiar with ground around us. We also have the surprise edge on them. There is a reason why only a select few of you have been called here. Since we apparently have some spies in our ranks, it is imperative that we maintain this planning a S-rank secret. Any questions."

Rin and Tsunade stood up and Rin spoke.

"As representatives of the Hospital, what do you advise us to do with the medic nins? We are, in a sense, short in staff. The staff has been overworking thanks to the chuunin exams and I'm not sure we will be at full force day of finals. It would be weird if all the medic force is at the arena, wouldn't it?"

"You will all be dressed as civilians within the crowd. The Medic nin will have a day off before to recuperate, leaving the civilian nurses and doctors at the hospital."

"Ryokai."

Kakashi stood up next to reveal his concerns.

"And ANBU?"

After his team split up, Kakashi took his position back in the ANBU force, making him the new ANBU commander. Since he wasn't in uniform, he couldn't directly address higher ups as ANBU commander at them moment, thus speaking in a more indirect tone.

"Well, Hatake-san, I believe since we also cut off ANBU missions, most of the ANBU should start returning home. Aside from the ones on long term missions, the ones returning should add up the force to roughly 2,000. They will be split up into squads and sent to patrol the village. I'm afraid some of the ANBU will miss the exams."

Kakashi chuckled as some of the ANBU shuffled uncomfortable. It was practically their way of complaining about how they wanted to watch the match.

"Alright."

"Any other questions?"

"..."

"Okay, I believe the exams are to continue. Jounins, return to your posts. ANBU, uh, do whatever you were doing before."

A few minutes later, Naruto, Shikaku, Kakashi, and Minato were the only ones left in the room.

"Tou-san"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"That Kabuto kid, he's one to look out for."

"So I've heard."

"The Oto nin are also a bit off. They're a new country and they already act like they are better than the rest of the nations."

Kakashi chuckled.

"Maybe it's just the arrogance of the smaller nations. Then again, it's never too good to underestimate. Don't worry, my men will be on the lookout."

Kakashi turned and leaved. Shikaku bowed as well before departing.

"Well, Tou-san. I'll be telling my genin what is going on. I'll also inspect that seal. It would be great if you could look at it too, two masters should have something on this amateur psycho."

Minato laughed.

"Alright, Naruto. I glanced at the seal in the forest and I warn you, it's a bit more complicated than a loon's work. I suspect it has multiple layers to it, the deepest one incorporated with a special chakra. I believe it's sage chakra. This could bring about many problems. Be careful, Naruto."

"Ryokai, Hokage-sama"

Naruto laughed and exited the room. He made his way to his team's room. Naruto knocked and heard a faint shuffle behind the door.

"Hello guys?"

The door swooped open in one big sweep, revealing a pissed off Sasuke and two genin latched to his legs, crying anime tears.

"We're so sorry, Sasuke!"

Naruto sweatdropped and entered the room, closing the door behind him. He looked at the genin at Sasuke's feet, then looked up.

"Any particular reason you have your two teammates at your feet?"

"Told'em about the seal"

"Hmm. Speaking of seal. I'll have to look at it. Do you mind?"

Naruto gestured at Sasuke's back. Sasuke nodded and dragged himself to a stool nearby. Plopping himself on it, he took his shirt off and Naruto walked behind him. Konohamaru and Sakura shot off the moment Sasuke started taking off his shirt.

"W-we'll wait somewhere else."

The two genin shot out of the room. Naruto chuckled and leaned closer to take a look at the seal.

"So, sensei-is it bad?"

"Hmmm, there are some issues with this seal."

Naruto looked at the seal again. His dad was right, it wasn't the work of some loon. It looked like years of research compacted into this three pronged seal. Judging by the small amount of prongs for such a complicated seal, this was definitely no amateur work.

"Hold on Sasuke, try pumping chakra into it for a second."

Sasuke did so and immediately winced in pain. The seal glowed an ominous red then died down. Naruto frowned.

"This may be a problem for the prelims. It seems to be taking your chakra as we speak. We have exactly two days before the end of the second test. If we don't solve it, you may not be able to bend chakra for the prelim, maybe even the finals."

"What? That can't be! I have to participate in them and win! If I can't bend chakra, how am I going to be able to participate"

"Although I see your problem, there are people who fight without chakra, ya know. That Rock Lee, Gai's genin, can't bend chakra, and I see him doing fine."

"That's different! The Sharingan requires chakra!"

"You can't always rely on that kind of stuff. Anyways, I can neutralize the seal real quickly. As long as you don't activate it or pump in chakra to the seal, it should remain dormant until I or my dad find a solution. It's extremely complicated already, I don't need your chakra to fuck more shit up."

"Ryokai, Sensei."

"Alright, this might smart a little so bare with me."

"Oh, oka-ARGGGG"

The sound of burnt flesh spread through the room. Sasuke's back was sizzling with steam. Sasuke went to claw at his back in pain as he clenched his teeth and hissed out. Sasuke's eyes rolled back and he began fell forward. Naruto caught him just in time to set him down gently on the floor.

"See, that wasn't so bad."

Naruto smirked a little but quickly dropped it as he looked at his hand. It looked like Sasuke's back wasn't the only thing that burned. Naruto raised his hand up, measuring the damage. It seemed that the old snake bastard had put a defense to his seal. Though Naruto's self created, ultra strong, seal prevailed, it didn't stop the counterseal from burning the skin off Naruto and Sasuke. When Naruto said it would hurt, he meant a small sting, not third degree burns. Naruto slowly left the room, observing as the Kurama sent his chakra into Naruto's hand, instantly leaving new pink skin where the burns were before.

* * *

Naruto made his way to the front desk where Konohamaru and Sakura were sitting. The two genin smiled at him but quickly changed them to a frown when they saw Naruto's hand. Sakura practically jumped up, lacing her hands with green chakra.

"Naruto-sensei! What happened? Oh god, did Sasuke do this to you? I'll kill him."

"Calm down, Sakura. I'm a jounin, this is nothing. Besides, it's already healing. No need to worry. Sasuke didn't' do anything, by the way."

"Healed? Already? How?"

"Uh, another kekkei genkai?"

"Wow! You have two? That's amazing Naruto-nii!"

Sakura nodded in agreement. Naruto inwardly sighed with relief. Technically, what he said was true. The Uzumaki had really fast healing abilities along with the capability to hold in Biju, making the healing process even faster. His mother being the previous biju also come to show that the Uzumaki can live through things that could kill most. Extracting Biju was sure to kill the Jinchuuriki. But not in the case of Uzumaki Kushina, who not only survived, but was able to heal back to normal health, still maintaining enormous chakra reserves.

Naruto smiled at the two genin.

"On a completely separate note, I was wondering what Sasuke had told you while I was gone. I believe I can fill in some gaps while adding more details to the event. Let's go somewhere else, shall we?"

The genin's face hardened and then they nodded. The two followed Naruto to meeting room near the top floor. Naruto stepped aside at the door, allowing the two genin to file in. Naruto closed the door and placed his hands in a seal.

"Seal"

The whole room was etched with a seal that spread out.

"What's that for Naruto-nii?"

"Silence seal."

"What for?"

"What I am about to reveal are several A to S ranked secrets. It would be most advised to stay silent about it."

The two genin were shocked. Naruto motioned them to sit, taking a chair across from them.

"Alright, starting from the beginning, any questions."

"Why were you posing as 'Aoba Yoki', refugee of the land of Iron, sensei."

"Simple, undercover."

"What for?"

"We are under attack."

"What? Why haven't we heard about it?"

"What are you talking about? You were the attack."

"That kusa kunoichi?"

"You keep saying 'she's' a kunoichi. In actuality, it was a man."

"What?"

"The nukenin, Konoha's sannin, Orochimaru. He has practically attacked our village by infiltrating and attacking. We do not respond lightly to these things."

"Yeah, but if you were undercover BECAUSE of the attack, how come you were there before the attack, posing as Aoba Yoki."

"Political reasons."

"Please indulge us, Naruto-_sensei_"

"You know the whole reason for the finals right?"

"To determine if we're chuunin worthy or not?"

"No, it's to determine if our village is worthy of more clients."

"What?"

"Meaning, you're putting on a show for the Daimyos, Kages, villagers, and other important people. The more impressive your genin are, the more, hm, 'hireable' you are."

"Isn't that cheating? Sending a jounin in a chuunin exam among genins?"

"Not if I've never taken the chuunin exams. Besides, the jounin exams are pretty much easier than these exams. Last time I checked, I didn't have to encounter a damn sannin to get my jounin title."

"Wow. So, that's it? Just for more clients? What about the attack thing?"

"Ah, that too. Resources told us that Orochimaru would attempt to attack during the test. We figured if we kept this on the down low, we could have an advantage-"

"Oo, like an element of surprise?"

"Uh, sure, Konohamaru. Anyways. It's still a secret but I need my own team to know. Either way, I went undercover because you three were forced to enter when I didn't want you too. Why not go in for some extra protection, right?"

Naruto looked at their skeptical faces.

"Look, I know I'm just being like some mother hen to you three but considering a freaking Sannin attacked you, my worries are only solidifying."

"But, sensei~"

"No. Under the Hokage's orders, I am to continue this mission and you are not to let the information out. Am I understood? Tell all of this to Sasuke after he wakes up. Alright, I'm out."

"Wait, Sasuke's out? What do you mean?"

Naruto smiled quickly and flashed out, leaving the two genin worrying. Sakura and Konohamaru rushed to the room to find Sasuke attempting to get up from the couch. He grunted, clutching his neck. Konohamaru stepped closer to hear what Sasuke was muttering.

"Damn, that bastard. I'm going to kill him. I hate him. Sunuvabitch, that asshole..."

Konohamaru sweatdropped, and turned to Sakura motioning.

"Let's get out, he's going insane."

Sakura and Konohamaru darted out, leaving Sasuke to mutter to himself.

* * *

Naruto's eyes darted around the room. Three days passed and only a very select few actually survived the damn forest. Naruto was so surprised considering the only thing dangerous about it is the monsters. Sure, there was fluffy, the abnormally large liger. But that thing was allergic to daisies! Come on! Daisies! You could give the big guy one whiff of a daisy and it would be out like a candle. Naruto guess it was kind of good to weed out the hopeless cases that couldn't even fend off a daisy-allergic liger. Kami, these people are ridiculous.

Naruto had made a clone in the place of Aoba Yoki because Jounins had to be present at the front of the room for the opening part of the preliminaries. According to the Tou-san, the testers like to make it seem like the preliminaries are because of the number of participants. But in reality, they just want to make sure that the genin they are going to place in the finals didn't get to this point just by cruising on the work of their teammates. From this point on, it was every man for himself.

Naruto lazily looked back at the supposed batch of genins. Ibiki thought they were a strong bunch considering they survived his test. Naruto just thought the guy was becoming soft. These genin looked like they couldn't even hurt a fly. They all looked tousled and dirty from the three days out in the terrain, fighting wussy ligers and feeding off bugs. Naruto inwardly chuckled.

Minato decided that Naruto should be exam proctor. Naruto openly disagreed saying he had to fight in the preliminaries himself. Minato however pushed on saying that Naruto needed an alibi which, at the moment, was not present. In the village, Namikaze Naruto was not on a mission or seen anywhere around. This brought out suspicion. Where could the Hokage's son possibly be?  
Naruto sighed as Minato continued his speech the genin.

In the front row, the heirs to the major clans of Konoha were present. Aburame Shino, Akimichi Chouji, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Sarutobi Konohamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, and Yamanaka Ino. In the second row, the rest of the Konoha Genin resided. Aoba Yoki, Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. Behind them was the three Suna nins, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. And behind them were the Oto nin, including Kabuto. Minato coughed and Naruto looked back up. Minato looked at him and nodded. That was his queue. He looked at the group of genin again.

"Hello hello, Participating Genins. I'd like to first congratulate all of you for passing the second part of the test. I have to say, it was a really hard test.-" Yeah right, that was a walk in the park.

"-On that note, it's time for the last test. The test that determines whether you will be a chuunin or not."

The genin started to shuffle awkwardly as Naruto waited a bit for added effects.

"However, because there are too many genin here, we are going to have preliminaries. During the last portion of the test, we have Kages, Daimyos, and other important figures attending. We can't waste their precious time with dozens of matches that have no time limit. Therfore, we're going to cut that number down."

The genin gasped and started to murmur among themselves.

"Above me-"

Naruto pointed upwards to a large screen.

"-is a screen that will randomly select two names. The two genin will fight until one either dies, yields, or is unable to continue the match. If I personally have to stop your match, there will be severe consequences. Consequences that will be decided and delivered by myself"

Naruto let that information sink. Sasuke suddenly felt ill as he remembered the last time his punishment was decided and delivered by Namikaze Naruto. Apparently, Sasuke wasn't the only one who heard of, or was part of, Naruto's punishment. The jounins also started murmuring, wondering if it was a good idea to have Naruto give out punishment. It was well known that the twelve year old kid was merciless.

"If that's all clear, then let's get started shall we?"

* * *

an:/ Another chapter? Another chapter...


	20. Chapter 20

Naruto sent to the genin's and the jounins to the balconies above the arena. Behind Naruto was a large statue with hands forming a seal. Right above the monstrosity, the duo screen started flashing. Naruto announced.

"And the upcoming match is...Konohagakure's Nara Shikamaru...and...Otogakure's Yunoha Kirina."

Asuma chuckled as the Nara muttered something about troublesome. Shikamaru made his way down to the arena via stairs as the Otogakure's Kunoichi jumped from the balconies, landing in front of Naruto. Naruto smiled at her antics. She appeared to be hardheaded, opposed to her opponent, the infamously lazy Nara. That guy could sleep through an attack and not care at all.

"Alright. Are you ready? Go!"

Shikamaru immediately stuffed his hands in his pockets and sauntered backwards. Kirina frowned and shot out a volley of senbon. Shikamaru leaned his head to the side, letting the senbon zip past his head. Shikamaru lazily stood at the side and waited for Kirina to move.

"Oi! Lazy ass! How about you add a bit of 'umph' to this match?"

"How about no."

"You..."

Kirina wasn't stupid. This guy was waiting for an opening, all he needed was for her to attack. But with the action, or more like lack of action, in this match, her patience will dry out. Kirina bit the inside of her cheek. She needed to execute her formulated plan. She had already made her first move with the senbon, all she needed was to continue with the next step. Kirina smirked.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. This girl clearly wasn't stupid like the other hooligans. She wasn't attacking brashly or jumping in without a plan. Shikamaru frowned. He was used to fighting dunces, not people who thought like him. He only faltered when the girl smirked from across the room.

Naruto was thoroughly amused. This wasn't the average battle of arms, it was a battle of wits. The rest of the jounin thought so too. The kunoichi didn't look like she had been properly built as a kunoichi but the expression of concentration on her face showed that although her physique wasn't strong, her strategy and thinking was. Naruto always enjoyed these kinds of fights. Being a skilled strategist himself, he understood how underestimated the mind was. Naruto walked back and leaned against the statue, knowing he was probably interfering with the genin's battlespace.

Naruto smirked. Though it was a battle of the wits and that it was all about surprising the opponent with your advance planning, Naruto had already analyzed and thought through all the plans the two genin could possible choose. The way Kirina was on her toes only told Naruto that she wasn't the patient type. Her eyes flickering to Shikamaru and her surroundings only told him that she was going in for the next move. Shikamaru's aloof expression showed he is patient enough to see what his opponent will do and is able to change plans on whims. His expression also showed that he knew this was not the average hand to hand combat battle. Shikamaru's hands moved slightly in his pockets. Naruto figured he carried a weapon of some sort in the pocket. Judging by the thickness, it could be a bunch of tags. No, not tags, the things in his pocket were round. _Smoke bombs_. Naruto almost bursted out laughing. _Smoke bombs, huh._

Kirina watched from the corner of her eyes as she watched the proctor back up, smirking. What was he doing? Kirina looked back at her opponent. Maybe taunting him will get a reaction.

"Come on asshole, show me how good the Konoha dogs are!"

_Well that worked splendidly,_ she thought sarcastically. Shikamaru looked unfazed.

"Hmmm, I'm not too sure I want to do that. I've got other plans, ya know? Man, this is all just too troublesome."

Kirina got into stance as Shikamaru slowly drew out his hand from his pocket. He held out his clenched fist in front of him. Kirina narrowed her eyes. What was he doing?

Naruto slowly drew his hand up with a hiraishin kunai. Shikamaru let his hand fly open, letting two round peculiar colored smoke bombs fall out, hitting the ground. Naruto almost started laughing out loud. Those were purple striped smoke bombs, meaning they weren't your average smoke bombs. They were pranking ones. _The whole place was going to blow up with a certain color._

Kirina watched as the two pellets slowly made their way to the ground. She looked at Shikamaru who smirked. Instantly, the pellets blew up, causing a large cloud of neon green smoke. As the smoke began to clear up, the whole arena was covered in Neon green. At the center, Shikamaru stood there covered in green paint. Kirina also got the full force of the color blast, slowly wiping her face only adding more paint to it.  
Naruto had launched his kunai at the ceiling, flashing up just as the explosion occurred. Most of the jounin couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's eagerness to avoid the blast. So far as to flash to the ceiling.

Kirina was infuriated. Did he just blow himself, along with the arena, up with neon green paint? What was it suppose to do? Give her new hair color? She liked her chocolate brown, thank you very much.

"What the hell man!"

"S-sorry, I think I took out the wrong pellets."

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and gave a cheesy grin. The crowd laughed at the Nara's mistake. Naruto flashed back down and smiled again. Kirina almost stomped her foot in frustration, but it was too childish for a rising chuunin.

"Urgh! Let's just get on with the match, shall we?"

h on her leg. Kirina charged forward at Shikamaru but was cut short when she felt her arm get cut open. She stopped short and looked at her arm. There was a large gash on her arm. She looked at Shikamaru who was still in the same position. _If he didn't throwing anything...then where did this come from?_ Kirina stepped forward only to hear her pants tear. She looked down to see another gash on her leg. Suddenly, Kirina couldn't move. The light caught glimpse of a small line. Kirina squinted a bit before going wide eyed. Wires! Suddenly, Kirina noticed the complex web of wires around her, several wrapped around her arms and legs, one around her neck. Kirina was beyond shocked.

"H-how! You didn't even move!"

Shikamaru smirked before turning into a puff of smoke.

"B-bunshin! When- During the explosion? How?"

The real Shikamaru jumped down from the balcony, undoing the henge of a jounin on himself.

"Easy. I purposely used pranking bombs to distract you. During the explosion, I made a bunshin and hightailed out of there. Still using the smoke as cover, I jumped through with the wires, creating the web you are in now. I then hid myself among the crowd. I let my bunshin make you think that it was by accident so you wouldn't get any suspicion about the smoke. You would've thought that if the bomb wasn't an accident, then I would have done something, causing you to be more vigilant. Welcome to my personal creation: The spider's web. Creative don't you think?"

"Damn you! Assholes, the lot of you!"

"Yeah, whatever. Welcome to Konoha."

Naruto sauntered his way to the middle between the two genin. He cleared his throat and announced.

"Because Yunoha Kirina is unable to fight, I declare Nara Shikamaru winner of this match. Medics!"

Kirina growled as Shikamaru tsked, walking back up to the balcony muttering how troublesome the match was. Shikamaru was completely unscathed.

Naruto grinned. It was a good match on Shikamaru's part. Not only did the Nara win the match, but he didn't even display his clan's jutsu's yet, giving him the advantage of surprise for the finals.

Kirina was escorted out by the medics after they cut away most of the wires surrounding her. Naruto coughed again to get everyones attention.

"Alright, now for the next match..."

The screen at the top started to buzz revealing the next two names.

"Konohagakure's Sarutobi Konohamaru and Konohagakure's Inuzuka Kiba!"

The two boys jumped of the balconies, landing at Naruto's feet with a cool pose. The two straightened up and grabbed each other's collars.

"Ready to run back home with your tail between your legs, dog breath?"

"Ha, just make sure you don't run back up your tree in fear, you damn monkey!"

"I'm going to wipe the floor with your face by the time I'm through with you, mutt!"

"I'd watch what you say, Monkey-boy! Don't start scratching your ass in the middle of the match cuz ya felt like it."

"Well don't lift your leg up in the middle of the match if you want to piss yourself-"

"ENOUGH BOYS, I SUGGEST YOU BOTH SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME START THIS DAMN MATCH!"

The two boys immediately shrunk in fear as Naruto calmed himself from his outburst. Meanwhile, the rest of the room tensed when the Namikaze yell. They all feared for the two genins because they somehow survived Naruto's yelling.

"Alright, you two. If you want a yelling match, maybe you should quit the shinobi life and become a lawyer."

The room was filled with laughs and chuckles as the two boys flushed and looked at their shoes.

"Okay, now that we've all calmed down. Let's begin. Are you two ready? Go!"

Kiba and Konohamaru both jumped back.

"Prepare to eat dirt, dog breath!"

"Kiss my ass, Monkey shit!"

"I'll make you eat those words, ya damn mutt!"

"Hey, Shut the fuck up!"

"Why don't you!"

"Nu-uh, why not you!"

Naruto, along with the rest of the room, sweatdropped.

_This is going to be a long match..._

* * *

OMAKE!

an:/Alright. (I say 'alright' a lot, don't I?). THAT WAS A SHORT MATCH/CHAPTER. I KNOW! let's just make it one match for now...I can probably zip by the prelims this week, if I have time...HOLY BAJEEZUS, I've forgot to write the other stories! :P Don't worry, winter break is coming up, I've got this shit under control...or do I?

Alright, onto the Omake.

* * *

"What I'm trying to say is...well...Sakura, I love you."

"N-Naruto..."

"I know, you probably don't love me too, but I just wanted you to know-"

"No, Naruto. I-I love you too..."

The Sakura inched closer to Naruto as Naruto did the same. They were centimeters apart, feeling the other breathe hot air on their lips. Naruto gaze was dropped as he looked at her lips. Sakura closed her eyes and went in closer. Just as she was about to kiss those perfect lips of Naruto. Naruto suddenly opened his mouth and let out a bark. Wait. A bark? What the hell?

Sakura snapped her eyes open and was met with a pair of beady black eyes. She was face to face with her pet dog, the yellow labrador, Captain. The Dog was breathing on her and was extremely close. Sakura kept her eyes wide open at the dog, not saying a word. Captain then licked Sakura's face and walked away. Sakura paused a moment before screaming.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~"

* * *

"Gee Sakura, you look like you just went to hell and back. Is there something wrong? What happened?"

Sakura shot a glare at Konohamaru who shrunk back.

"Nothing, Konohamaru. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

"A-alright, Sakura. If you say so. By the way, Naruto-nii said he'd be late. So now we're just waiting for him."

"Hn."

Sakura blushed. Naruto was going to be there! Can this get any more awkward? First she had a dream about him, now she's going to seem him in real life! Sakura was panicking inside her mind but was cut short when she heard a voice.

"Yo, guys. Sorry I'm late. Had to help a lady cross the road, heh heh."

Sakura froze that very moment. He's here! Sakura turned around to see the blonde. He was wearing his typical jounin attire, dark blue long sleeves folded to his elbows, matching pants, tied down with bindings below his knees. His green jacket was a size too big but fitted nonetheless. His red bib covered his neck with his konoha hitai-ate on his forehead. His clear blue eyes twinkling with mirth, his blond hair outshining the sun. His whiskers adding a feral yet tame effect. Sakura couldn't help but inwardly swoon. He was just the epitome of cute guys in Konoha. Konohamaru's annoying voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Liar! You used that same excuse yesterday and the day before that! It's no coincidence."

"What if it's her routine to cross the road at the same time everyday?"

"What if you could just show up on time, for once!"

Naruto let out a chuckle and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. Sakura's heart was pounding as she heard his laugh. He turned from Konohamaru and smiled at Sakura.

Sakura's heart practically stopped. Sakura tried to take in a deep breath.

"Hiya, Sakura! How's life treating you?"

Sakura was furiously blushing which went unnoticed by the block-head-when-it-comes-to-love idiot. She resisted the urge to faint right then and there. Here inner personality took over from there. No way was she going to be a total wuss because of some smile!

Naruto's smile was wiped off his face when he had to suddenly dodge a chakra enhanced punch.

"Whoa, there Sakura. What's up?"

Sakura, or more like Inner Sakura, gritted her teeth and went in for more punches.

"Quit-Smiling-like-a-some-stupid-buff-oon-, IDIOT!"

Sakura huffed between punches. When she was tired she stormed off, red as a tomato. Naruto turned to Konohamaru and Sasuke.

"What's up with her?"

"Said she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I don't believe it for a second."

"Hn. Girls."

The three boys muttered in agreement.

* * *

an:/Ha, I'm such a tease. Alright. Gotta work now. Tootaloo mofos. Rate and Review?

KINDA A POLL?

Should Naruto join ANBU later on? Somehow? No?  
this is a simple yes or no question, but if you'd like to add something to it, knock yourselves out!


	21. Chapter 21

an:/ Alright, lots of answers for the poll I see. While many of you like to have Naruto as ANBU, those who don't bring up pretty good points...Either way, it won't happen now. Probably after a certain event...in the future. Alright, enough ambiguous stuff going down. Let's get to Kiba vs. Konohamaru!

-

Konohamaru whipped out a kunai and got into stance.

"Well, Kiba, it doesn't matter what you say. I'll be winning this match."

"You keep telling yourself that, Sarutobi. Let's go, Akamaru!"

A small little white dog popped out of Kiba's grey hood and barked.

Naruto backed up to the statue again. As much as he was biased for his own genin, he was intrigued as to how far the Inuzuka had improved. He debated with himself whether to root for Konohamaru or Kiba. Well, after teaching the damn monkey a lot of tricks of his, Konohamaru should be the better of the two...he hoped.

Konohamaru leaped forward, meeting Kiba halfway there. The two clashed and Konohamaru dashed back instantly just as Akamaru was about to sink his jaws into Konohamaru's ankle.

"Hey Kiba. Keep your dog on a leash, will ya? He's interfering with our fight."

"Shut up! He's a partner, not a pet!"

"Whatever."

Konohamaru launched several kunais towards Kiba, who dodged and deflected. Akamaru came out from behind Kiba and dashed towards Konohamaru. The puppy jumped in the air and let out a spray of urine towards Konohamaru. Konohamaru blanched and quickly dodged the piss, appearing behind the dog and side kicking it away towards Kiba.

"Akamaru!"

Kiba jumped towards the flying dog to catch it. Konohamaru took this as his chance.

_Suiton- Suiryuudan no jutsu!_

A lot of the Jounin were impressed by the genin. Not many genin could call out a water jutsu without any water nearby. Konohamaru was drawing the jutsu out with pure chakra. Naruto smirked. Looks like Konohamaru has started to develop a second affinity. Then Kiba dodged, letting the floor flood with water. Konohamaru smirked and weaved through another set of jutsus.

_Douton- Deichi no jutsu!_

Konohamaru slammed the floor, changing the clear water on the floor to a dense mud pond. Kiba jumped up to keep himself from touching the mud, still carrying his ninken. Konohamaru followed Kiba with his eyes, watching as the Inuzuka ran around him. Konohamaru cursed under his breath when Akamaru suddenly got better. Konohamaru let out another string of curses when the puppy turned red. Konohamaru recognized the Inuzuka's technique, having his sensei brief him on all the clan's techniques.

_"Remember, Konohamaru, The Yamanaka specialize in mind techniques, Nara in shadow, Akimichi in expansion and food pills, Uchiha in sharingan, Hyuuga in Byakugan, and Inuzuka with their ninken." _

_"Nee, Naruto-sensei, should I care more about the doujutsus? Why would I have to care about a little ninken? Aren't they a bit innocuous?"_

_"Hmm, it's not the little puppy itself that's scary, rather the teamwork displayed by the human and the pup. The Inuzuka in the chuunin exams is Inuzuka Kiba, heir to the clan. He's got a particular ninken. When fed a special chakra pill, this puppy turns red as opposed to maintaining its normal color like the rest of the ninken in the clan. It kinda gives away the fact that he's going to use his ultimate technique."_

_"Ultimate technique? What is it?"_

_"It's one to watch out for...the clan's special technique.-"_

Konohamaru quickly weaved through his hand seals just as Kiba yelled out his technique.

_"Juujin bunshin- GATSUUGA!"_

Akamaru had turned into another Kiba on top of the real Kiba. Then the two started spinning towards Konohamaru, who was still weaving through the signs. Kurenai sighed and turned to the other jounin.

"He's finished."

Kurenai felt smug as the jounin murmured. Naruto heard her and only smirked. A little rotation can't beat his genin. _He was trained by the great Namikaze Naruto!_ Naruto had an evil glint in his eye as he caught eye contact with Kurenai. Only to prove his point, Konohamaru finished his hand seals and blew out.

_Katon: Karyuudan no jutsu!_

Konohamaru breathed out the fire which homed in on the rotating pair. When the flame finally caught up, the pair caught aflame and slowed down. They landed to the floor with charred out clothes and a few burns. Akamaru poofed back into it's dog form and limped to the ground.

"Akamaru!"

The puppy whined and Kiba went to grab the dog, only for Konohamaru to get there first and take the dog hostage. Konohamaru hopped away with the dog.

"Hey! Give Akamaru back!"

Konohamaru grimaced as Kiba winced. Kiba was sporting some serious burns that could infect if not treated. Kiba wasn't faring well in the stamina department either. Konohamaru frowned and put a kunai to Akamaru's throat. Kiba growled and moved forward.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing-"

"-Don't move."

"Wha-"

"I said _don't move_!"

Konohamaru gritted from his teeth. Kiba frowned and backed down.

"Alright, now tell me, Sarutobi. I won't repeat after this, _What the fuck_ do you think you're doing with my dog?"

"Yield."

"Wha-"

"I said yield, dammit! Kiba, you're sporting major burns and you're not too far from passing out. I don't want to kill you! That katon jutsu wasn't suppose to hurt you this much! I put too much chakra in it! Now yield before I lose control of another jutsu..."

"Get your hands off him, Sarutobi! I'm warning you-"

"Then yield!"

Naruto frowned. It was a slight cowardice to do what he was doing now, but Konohamaru was doing the right thing. Killing a fellow Konoha genin was looked down upon and that previous Katon jutsu was a bit too big for liking, not to mention Kiba got the full blow of it. Naruto started to walk forward and spoke.

"Inuzuka Kiba, are you willing to continue to fight?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes and let a bead of sweat roll down. He didn't like giving up, not like this. Sure, they were right about the burns. They hurt like hell. His chakra was running low along with his stamina. He wouldn't last long but that didn't mean he didn't want to leave with a bang. But if he didn't yield, Akamaru would get the full blow of it and he would never be able to live with himself again. Kiba knew full well that Konohamaru only means well, it wasn't like he was purposefully hurting his pride or anything. Kiba looked at Kurenai and back at Naruto. He clenched his eyes shut, then got out of stance.

"A-alright. I yield."

"Good. The winner of this match is Sarutobi Konohamaru! Medics!"

Konohamaru went up to Kiba and gently gave Akamaru back.

"I'm sorry Kiba. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine, Konohamaru. It was the right thing to do."

Kiba looked at Akamaru who also sported burns and a broken rib from the kick. He probably did the right thing.

The medics cleared out and Naruto yelled out a douton jutsu to clear out the arena. After the clean up crew went over the smaller messes, Naruto made his way to the center.

"Okay! The next match is..."

"Konohagakure's Hyuuga Hinata...and Konohagakure's Hyuuga Neji."

Naruto turned to the Hokage, skeptically raising his eyebrow. Minato nodded and Naruto looked away to proceed with the match.

"Will the two genin come down."

On both sides of the room, the two Hyuugas took the stairs down. As both made it to the center where Naruto resided, Neji smirked.

"It seems...Hinata-_sama_, that we have been destined to fight here."

"W-what do you mean by that, Neji-kun"

"Main house member to fight a branch house member. It must be fate to have us finally determine who is better."

"I still don't understand, Neji-kun"

"It doesn't matter..."

"Please, I really don't want to proctor exams with a bunch of bickering genin, can we get on with this, guys?"

The two Hyuugas looked at Naruto who only glared at the two in annoyance.

"Finally. Alright, whenever you two are ready. Go!"

The two Hyuugas spared no time getting into their stance. Naruto watched carefully as the stance shifted strangely. It was one of the few times he would ever see the gentle fist in action considering the clan was very secretive. Not to mention it was a main branch member, the heiress no less. Though, Naruto didn't count the Neji guy out just yet. He looked pretty strong and sure acted like it too considering he was blatantly mocking the girl.

The stance the two took was called "Gentle Fist", a taijutsu style that was learned only by Hyuugas. Naruto laughed a bit. Though the Hyuugas were really strong, in the few times Naruto saw the Gentle Fist, he'd always find some flaw in them. If it wasn't for the eyes of theirs, their fighting style would be completely useless. He guessed that was probably why no one else used the damn style.

The two genins activated their byakugan and sprang forward, meeting halfway with a series of strikes. The strikes were incredibly fast to the point where not many people in the room could keep up with the speeds. Each hit making a sound as they were snapped out at an opponent. The two Hyuugas deflected and countered each hit, making no progress until Hinata slipped a bit. Neji took the opportunity and sent a hit towards her abdomen.

Hinata was shot back, coughing up a bit of blood. She recovered and entered her stance again.

"Give up, Hinata-sama. Even as a Main house member, you can't win. Fate has decided already the moment our names were called up."

"Nonsense! I won't give up!"

"We'll see about that! I've already hit a point on you, causing your internal organs to bleed, can't you see the crimson dripping down your chin?"

"I'm not going to give up with just one hit!"

"Very well, Hinata_-sama_. I'll show you that being a Main member means nothing!"

Neji sprinted forward and launched another array of attacks at Hinata who, once again, deflected them and countered. However, Hinata's internal wound was catching up to her. She made another slip up, letting a strike get through her defenses. Neji smirked at this and took the second opportunity the moment it arrived. Neji got into a different stance immediately.

_Juuken shou: Hakke, Rokujuuyon Shou!_

Neji went in for the strikes, yelling out the amount of consecutive strikes he hits. Up to the 16th consecutive strike, Hinata spat out blood, knees shaking. Neji went in for the 32 consecutive strikes, half way through, Naruto appeared between them, crouched from below, delivering a chakra enforced side kick to Neji's side, sending the boy crashing into a wall. Hinata collapsed, splattering blood all over the floor. Naruto got up and started at Neji's slumped over body. His ice cold orbs made the room colder and more tense. Neji groaned.

"Hyuuga Neji. I warned you. Perhaps you were too caught up in your technique to hear me SCREAMING YOUR DAMN NAME, TELLING YOU TO FUCKING STOP!"

Neji flinched, as did the rest of the room.

"Leave your foolish family feuds_ away_ from official Konoha business. You have just harmed a Konoha genin to the point where it may be fatal. Do you have anything to say about yourself?"

Neji lifted his head and gave an indifferent look, pissing off Naruto.

"She had what was comin-gah"

Naruto flashed in front of Neji and rammed his hand into Neji's throat, slamming the boy into the wall. Naruto's sharp blue eyes stared into Neji's pale ones. He squeezed harder, eliciting a choke.

"_I said_, do you have anything to say about_ yourself_?"

Neji's windpipe was severely injured, preventing the Hyuuga from answering. Naruto let out a grunt and loosened his grip. The Hyuuga was dropped unceremoniously on the ground and Naruto turned away.

"Good. Consider yourself lucky this time, Hyuuga Neji, but because Hinata cannot proceed, according to the rules, you are in the next round. Don't_ fuck up_ next time. Medics!"

Medics were already on the scene, taking the injured Hyuuga Hinata on a stretcher. Neji was also being tend to in a matter of seconds. The clean up crew cleaned out the blood as Naruto watched disdainfully. He looked up to the balcony and made eye contact with Maito Gai. The green clad man frowned. Naruto shared the frown and looked away, ready to announce the next match. Naruto looked up at the audience and gave them a cold look.

"Anyone else who wants to fuck shit up, will have to go through me. If you have a problem leave."

Sakura looked at Sasuke and murmured.

"Don't you think Sensei is being a bit harsh here?"

Yoki turned to them.

"No. 'I'm' not. I'm sure there are lots of people who agree with me. It is only I, who has the guts and the clearance, can carry out my opinions."

"Wha-"

"You will be chuunin. You can't be a bunch of naive little bitches. Grow a pair or get the hell out."

Sakura and Sasuke nervously gulped. Their sensei was a bit harsh but they guess that's just who he was. They turned back to their real sensei, who was going to call out new names. Naruto looked up at the screen again.

"Next match...Konohagakure's Tenten and Sunagakure's Temari"

-  
an:/ Thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows! Surprisingly, my story has reached 50,000 or so views! Y'all are awesome sexy beast readers! Thank you all for reading this story for (it hasn't been that long) all this time! I hope you continue reading "The Namikaze Legend" and follow Naruto as he continues his journey. I love you all. Yay for this small but important milestone in the story!

Alright, Aerotyl out.

Suiton- Suiryuudan no jutsu!-water dragon bullet

Douton- Deichi no jutsu- Earth release- mud pond

Katon- Karyuudan no jutsu- fire dragon bullet

Juujin bunshin- Beast clone

Gatsuuga- fang over fang.

Juuken hou: Hakke, Rokujuuyon Shou- its that 8 tiagrams: 64 palms

Sorry for making the Hyuuga fight less interesting, while I may know martial arts myself (so I can choreograph the other fights) gentle fist is kinda hard to, um, you know, be creative with? At least for me...I can't really relate any martial art to gentle fist other than applying pressure points to the body...


	22. Chapter 22

an:/Meh, I hope the fights are somewhat interesting...I don't want to make it seem too unoriginal but at the same time, I don't want to deviate too far from the original fights. Rest assured, the finals and the invasion will be...a lot different.

* * *

The two kunoichi jumped out of the balcony, landing gracefully next to Naruto. Temari looked at the blond skeptically. _It was the same guy that stopped Kankuro before the test._ Her eyes narrowed at the boy but she quickly looked back at Tenten. Naruto looked at both girls and then looked back to the front.

"Tenten, Temari. Ready? Go!"

Both kunoichi jump back several feet and got into stance. Temari took out her fan and spread it out behind her. Tenten took out a scroll and unsealed a large scythe. Temari rooted her fan into the floor and started weaving through hand seals.

_Fuuton: Furyokuhatsuden burēdo..._

Several sharp blades of wind headed towards Tenten. Tenten bit her thumb and smeared blood on the blade of the scythe. The scythe started glowing white with chakra. Tenten spun the blade around, cutting through the wind blades. One blade, however, managed to nick Tenten's pants. Tenten flinched and jumped back. She unraveled another scroll.

_Buki kata: Tekketsu no ame_

The scroll unsealed hundreds of weapons which fell from above, each lodging itself in the ground around the two kunoichi. Tenten got into a stance.

"Kata one."

Tenten dashed forward, pulling out a pair of sais from the ground. Temari pulled her fan out of the ground and deflected the strike. The clash of the two weapons created ephemeral sparks, lasting as long as the blows delivered from both sides. The speed was incredible in which Tenten would create new combinations, striking blow after blow. Temari was able to keep up with her incredibly large fan.

Temari's fan had a few scratches while Tenten's sais were blunted and bent. Tenten shot them out of the area, lodging them into the walls.

"Kata two."

Tenten flipped back and pulled out a bo staff. She flipped it around for good measure before jumping in. Temari spread her fan and whipped it across, creating a gust of wind. The wind blew Tenten off her course, making her skid away. Her bo started to splinter and Tenten hid behind one of the bigger axes that laid on the field. The wind died off and Tenten ran past the ax, reaching for a tanto.

"Kata three".

She quickly pivoted and turned, ready to swipe. When she felt the tanto connect, she watched as blade meet large metal fan. Her blade cracked under the pressure, then suddenly her tanto was cut in half.

Tenten went wide eyed and temari smirked, driving through the broken blade to hit the weapon's mistress. Tenten quickly ducked and jumped back. She launched some of the kunai and shuriken scattered around, but Temari sent another gust of wind, knocking them off path. Tenten gritted her teeth. She figured the remainder of her weapons would have the same results, thus she decided to go straight to the last kata.

_Kesshou Kata- Saigo no Ame._

Tenten reached behind her back for the large body scroll. With a flick of her wrist, the scroll unraveled, revealing a large kanji for Poison. Temari frowned.

_Kai!_

Purple fluids sprayed out of the scroll, raining on the arena. Temari smirked and lifted her fan up over her head, like an umbrella. Temari was shielded from all the 'poison', watching as the 'rain' continued to fall. Temari could barely see where Tenten was due to the rain so she kept on the lookout. Her focus was cut short when she heard a sizzling sound. She looked around to see where the sizzling sound was coming from. The rain stopped but the sound kept going. When she took down her fan, her jaw loosened and almost dropped open. The rain had burnt away parts of her fan, leaving the metal frame rusting and corroding away and the paper cloth burnt through. She looked back at Tenten who was now in the middle with another scroll.

"Didja like my 'rain'? I wouldn't say it was poison, per say, rather a really corrosive acid. How's your fan? Doesn't look like it will last long..."

Temari gritted her teeth. She flinched back when the weapons mistress summoned another weapon. It was a long sword that had a purple hilt. The end was curved up a little with a green ribbon flowing down. The blade held a purplish tint which did not go unnoticed by Temari. She got into stance.

Naruto was getting excited. This was the match he wanted to see. No family feuds, no bickering, just pure combat. When he saw the four katas the weapon mistress displayed, he was least to say impressed. Being a swordsman himself, he was excited to see the girl use her katana. Naruto noticed it was probably laced with poison. _Maybe I should do that to mine too..._Naruto chuckled a bit.

Tenten dashed forward swiping her blade. Temari instinctively brought out her fan to block. Tenten smirked and let the blade cross through the corroded metal. The fan let out a large snap as the katana cut it cleanly in half. Temari was shocked and she quickly dodged the second swipe. If she didn't do anything now, it would be too late.

_Fuuton: Tatsumaki no dangan_

Temari let in a deep breath before spitting out a large burst of wind. Tenten quickly dodged the consecutive blows but was caught in the last one. The bullet hit Tenten straight in the chest, launching her back across the arena and into the wall. She was instantly knocked out. _Lucky shot, thank kami._ Temari supported herself on her knees, catching a breath. She also noticed that the sword had nicked her arm. _That proctor better call now or I might not make it!_

Naruto jumped over to Tenten to check a pulse before straightening up._ That was fast..._

"The winner of this match is Sunagakure's Temari! Medics"

The same cleanup started again and the rest of the people at the top level were growing restless. I guess they aren't that patient...

Naruto looked up before looking at the screen. The screen rolled through names before landing on another pair.

"Konohagakure's Uchiha Sasuke...and Kabuto..."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and was about to jump off before Yoki gripped his shoulder. Yoki gave him a look before mouthing something.

_"Don't kill him, but take him out of commission...permanently."_

Sasuke smirked.

"Ryokai,_ Taichou_"

Sasuke jumped off the baloney as Kabuto walked down the stairs. Kabuto was slightly ticked off. They mentioned earlier that candidates couldn't back out at this point which was totally screwing up the plan. What if he got hurt and couldn't continue? Not to mention he can't hurt Uchiha Sasuke. Fate just seemed to love testing him. He slowly walked forth, looking at Namikaze Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke watch him with calculating eyes.

"Taking your time, Kabuto-_kun_?"

Kabuto shot a glare at the jounin but it left as fast as it came. Naruto unfortunately caught it and frowned.

"Have a problem, Kabuto-kun?"

"No, Namikaze-san."

"hmmm. Okay, Sasuke, Kabuto. Ready? Go!"

They both jumped back but when Sasuke was in midair, he started weaving through hand seals.

_Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!_

The large fireball was emitted from Sasuke's mouth and made it's way towards Kabuto. Kabuto inwardly curse. He couldn't maneuver himself in midair and there were no logs to kawarimi with. He started charging up a lot of chakra.

Sasuke reached the ground and watched as the fireball engulfed the silver haired teen. Sasuke felt like he should be smirking in celebration but that was just too easy to be true. He had to be alert. If what Naruto-sensei said was true, this guy was in the league with Orochimaru. Orochimaru wouldn't hire some guy that could be beaten by one jutsu as his assistant. Sasuke's gut feeling was confirmed when Kabuto still landed on the floor unharmed, albeit having a few burns.

Kabuto gritted his teeth. If what Orochimaru said was correct about the seal on Sasuke, the boy shouldn't be able to mould that much chakra. Sasuke should be withering in pain. Kabuto saw that Naruto was smirking at him. _Of course! They have two seal masters in Konoha at the moment, so it's only natural that they neutralized the seal!_ But Kabuto smiled inwardly. Sure you could neutralize the thing, but you can't remove it without sage chakra. That seal was imbedded with Orochimaru's snake sage chakra, so unless you had some of your own sage chakra, you couldn't remove it. And so far, the only sage recorded in Konoha is Jiraiya. His contacts have said the white haired man had been spotted in Kiri. Kabuto smiled.

Sasuke watched as the teen got up and smiled. It was a bit unnerving but Sasuke remained steeled. He took out a kunai and got into stance. As Kabuto got up, his hands started to glow green. Sasuke watched skeptically as Naruto's eyes widened. _The guy was a medic!_ That technique was something that Rei knew. She mentioned something about chakra scalpels. If what he was remembering was true, Sasuke could have a run for his money. Kabuto's smile broke out into a malicious grin. Kabuto sprang towards the Uchiha.

Naruto frowned. _Now would be a good time to activate your damn doujutsu, Sasuke._

As if they had a telepathic link, Sasuke activated his Sharingan at that moment and dodged the strike headed towards his chest. He countered with a kick which was dodged as well. _I can't let him touch me with those chakra laced hands_. Sasuke's sharingan saw how sharp the chakra was being moulded into. They were like small blades that extended farther than his fingers. It was supposed to confuse the opponent into underestimating the reach of the jutsu.

Kabuto launched an array of attacks but they were all avoided by Sasuke. Kabuto frowned because it seemed that Sasuke was faring quite well with his technique. Unknown to Naruto and Kabuto, Sasuke knew exactly what Kabuto was doing. Sakura had told him about the Chakra scalpel style. It was heavily used by medic nins who had excellent chakra control. The blades could cut through muscle and tendons like cutting butter. That and the fact that one hit to an internal organ could be the end of him. Sasuke inwardly frowned. Not only did he have to think about avoiding the strikes, but he also had to think about ways to inflict the most damage thanks to the 'mission' Naruto-sensei gave him.

Kabuto launched one last attack before Sasuke threw out his hand, veering the strike out of it's original path. Kabuto's balance followed the hand, giving Sasuke the opening he was looking for. Sasuke flung his leg out onto Kabuto's stomach and grabbed the silver teen's collar. Sasuke then leaned back and rolled to the floor. He thrusted his foot out last minute, adding chakra to it, thus launching the boy across the room over him.

Naruto smirked. The chakra enforced sacrifice roll had sent Kabuto crashing into a wall, causing the wall to crack and crumble. Though Naruto was a tad bit concerned as the silver haired boy got up. Sasuke anticipated this and already went through his hand seals.

_Raiton: Kaminari Suzume!_

The swallow shot at Kabuto, lodging itself into the boy's chest. Kabuto yelled in pain as his whole body pulsed with electricity. Kabuto's breathing was labored as his body continued to crack with sparks of lightning. But Kabuto still wasn't out of the battle yet. Sasuke frowned and went through another set of hand seals to finish the job.

_Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken!_

Sasuke launched several shuriken which were suddenly encased in lightning chakra. They all made contact, lodging in Kabuto's arms and legs. Kabuto only looked up and smirked.

"I'm a medic, dontcha know? It's gonna take a lot more than that!"

Kabuto charged up his chakra and then let it incase his body. His wounds immediately started to heal and Kabuto flexed a bit, popping a few joints. Sasuke was taken back. Naruto also frowned as he watched Kabuto regenerate.

"Come on, Sasuke-_kun_. What happened to all the fervor before?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and got into stance. He made a hand seal.

"Kai!"

"Come on Sasuke-kun, this isn't genjutsu"

"Ha, that's what the ol' snake said too."

Kabuto flinched and looked in shock. Sasuke only grinned as he felt the chakra made its way to his limbs. The reactions of his opponents to his gravity seals were priceless. _It never gets old._

Sasuke instantly appeared in front of Kabuto and drove his fist into the teen with a sickening crunch. The uppercut made Kabuto rise up on his toes in the air. Sasuke didn't stop though, adding a second uppercut in the same spot, then adding a knee as he followed the teen in the air. Each hit elicited blood from Kabuto's mouth and the sound of bones cracking. Sasuke then appeared above Kabuto and drove two hammerfists into Kabuto's back, sending the teen crashing into the ground.

Sasuke jumped away from the crater created by Kabuto. He surveyed his hands as he saw how bruised they were. Kabuto had apparently enforced his body with chakra, making his body as hard as rock. Each hit had caused Sasuke to bruise and now Sasuke couldn't stop the shaking in his hands. He looked back up as the dust cleared, revealing Kabuto healing himself again.

"Sasuke-kun, how's your hands? Not feeling so well?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and launched several kunai with explosion tags at the end of them. Each tag exploded around Kabuto, causing his flesh to burn away. But Kabuto only sent more chakra to his wounds, healing them instantly. Kabuto inwardly frowned. Though he can heal himself instantly, the trick can only happen a few times before the constant regenerating cause problems in his body at the cellular level.

Sasuke used this pause to plan his next course of action. If straight on attacks weren't working, then he would have to just exhaust the teen to the point where he can't use chakra. He launched several more kunai and shuriken but this time, Kabuto actually attempted to dodge them. Sasuke was a little surprised. Why was Kabuto suddenly dodging now? He had taken several explosions, broken bones, electricity, and stab wounds before. What made the difference to dodge now? Then it hit him. That healing trick could only happen so often. Sasuke smirked.

Kabuto dodged the incoming shuriken and kunai and made his way to a cleaner area. He pumped chakra back into his hands and got into his chakra scalpel stance. Sasuke weaved through another series of hand seals and brought his hands to his mouth.

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_

The fireball was gigantic compared to most and when it made it's way to Kabuto, Kabuto wouldn't be able to dodge to the side. Kabuto jumped upwards, above the fireball. Sasuke only smiled again as he launched several explosion tags above the fire ball right after and saw that Kabuto jumped up. The tags lit up and exploded, sending Kabuto crashing to the ground. Kabuto got up and started to regenerate again but at a much slower pace. Sasuke didn't let the teen catch a breath as he darted forward and landed several more punches and kicks to Kabuto. He sent a last sidekick into Kabuto's chest, sending the boy crashing into the statue next to Naruto, who hadn't flinched.

Sasuke copied Naruto's move and appeared in front of Kabuto and slammed his hand into Kabuto's windpipe. He drove another uppercut to Kabuto's stomach and dropped the boy to the floor. Sasuke jumped back and caught his breath. He realized that his chakra was starting to run low and it would only be a matter of time before he collapsed to exhaustion. Kabuto wasn't faring better, if not he was faring worse. Kabuto's regeneration abilities were too slow to keep up with the barrage of attacks Sasuke had sent him. The explosion tag had gave him several burns that have yet to heal and his lungs were collapsing. Kabuto let his body hit the floor as his knees couldn't hold his weight anymore. Naruto stepped forward.

"Alright, end of match. Winner is Uchiha Sasuke. Medics!"

Sasuke let himself sink to one knee as he caught his breath. Naruto walked up to him and picked Sasuke up by the arm.

"Good job, Sasuke. Get some rest for that chakra exhaustion and your hands. _You did your job perfectly._"

Naruto said the last part in an undertone, allowing only Sasuke to hear what he said. Sasuke nodded and Naruto smiled. The medics took Sasuke away and Kabuto on a stretcher. Naruto let the cleaning crew do their job since he was too lazy at this point to do a jutsu for the wall. He lazily stood at the center with his hands in his pockets as he waited. When the crew was done he waited for the next two names to be picked. The screens flashed and landed on two names. Naruto let out a small smile and announced the next two names.

"Konohagakure's Yamanaka Ino and...Konohagakure's Haruno Sakura."

-

an:/ My deepest condolences to the Hyuuga family...OH MY GOD, NEJIIIIIIII~ COME BACK! I think a piece of me died with Hyuuga Neji. I almost feel bad for antagonising him in the previous chapter. I am so sorry Neji. I just want you to know that everyone loves you. You were one of my favorite characters and I vow to bring honor back to your name in this story!

On another note. I'm going on a cruise tomorrow and we all know how their internet works...pay, pay, and more pay. I'm sorry cruise people...I'M BROKE! So I will leave ya'll with this chapter, feeling satisfied that Kabuto has somehow managed...but don't think this is the end of Kabuto..he'll be back...I think. Sasuke kicked ass here...in a sense. And so did Tenten even though she lost. I love tenten because I, too, love weapons. I love katanas, tantos, sai, nunchaku, tonfa, bo, tambo, and other weapons. Call me weird but they are badass as fucckkk~ Okay. Anyways, back to the internet issue. I'm not sure I can update during the next week. But that doesn't mean I won't be working on it. I just can't update. which means, when I come back, expect a shit ton of chapters updated... Until then.

Aerotyl over and out.

Jutsu translations:

Fuuton: Furyokuhatsuden burēdo- wind release: wind blade

Buki kata: Tekketsu no ame- Weapon kata: Iron blood rain

Fuuton: Tatsumaki no dangan- wind release: Tornado bullet

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu -fire release: great fireball

Raiton: Kaminari suzume- lightning release: lightning sparrow

Raiton: Kaminari Shuriken- lightning release: lightning shuriken


	23. Chapter 23

an:/ Oh my, this is going to be fun...

Special response to "A pissed off reader" who said (save you time from looking for it):

"Why the fuck would you spoil Neji's death? Asshole."

Short and to the point, I would've liked it if it wasn't for the content.

First off, I don't appreciate your sass, mister. Yeah, go wash your mouth with soap, because I do not tolerate such bad language. Shame on you. Do you kiss your mom with that mouth? Ew, Geez...

Second off, I did not directly mention the fate of Neji Hyuuga, just the fact that I was sorry. So before you go running around like a headless chicken, take a chill pill and calm yo titties. Don't go around, jumping to conclusions, immediately taking offense like a pretentious middle school girl. _"OMG, oh no you di-n'~. You did not just offend me~" *proceed with bitchy catfight*_ That is how you are acting right now. Grow up, alright? Just grow up.

Finally, I only wrote what I wrote last chapter because I only assumed that true Naruto fans had already read the chapter already...you read this story, what, 5 days after? And the chapter came out, what, one day after? I mean come on, that's practically like a week! I think that is plenty of time to read the damn thing, which, by the way, is only like 22 pages including advertisement, scan labels, and fanart. And the chapter is available on many websites, all in english, and all free (easily accessible, might I add). These 22 pages should've been read in, like, 10 minutes max. Some might say, "Oh, I have school" or something like that. Well when school ends at that bell ring, you sprint home, log on to your family computer, and you read that chapter like Itachi is about to go Amaterasu on your ass if you don't. That is how a true fan deals with a new chapter release, not some butthurt going about on fanfiction complaining that an apology spoiled something for them...five days after the chapter came out. Quit whining and grow a pair, and go actually read the chapters.

This, my friends, is how I deal with jackasses on my reviews. No lesson is better than a slight bit of public humiliation, or at least I think this is enough public humiliation to pass off for punishment. I don't need to contact my friend, Ezio Auditore, or anything...

Professor Aerotyl instructs that to all you other horrible people that do this, please take note for the future. That is all. Class dismissed.

On a completely separate note, to those that did find my apologies slightly offensive, aside from the butthurt I mentioned above, I am sorry. What I said wasn't to offend anyone on purpose and I had only good intentions behind it.

Anyways, Thanks for sticking around even after my short break (It's been so long, I almost forgot the taste of internet...)

I've got one thing to say though, I'm back~! Now, let's get on with the fights :D

-

"Konohagakure's Yamanaka Ino and...Konohagakure's Haruno Sakura."

Sakura's head snapped up as she heard her name, forehead with beads of sweat. She looked up to see her friend Ino across the room. Ino gave a smirk while confidently flipping her hair and making her way down the balcony via stairs. Sakura looked to her side to Yoki who only nodded and wished her luck.

"Don't worry, Sakura, you've got this. Good luck, alright?"

Sakura nervously nodded and made her way down the balcony as well. As she made her way to the center near her sensei, Ino sneered.

"Well, Sakura-chan. Who would've thought we would be fighting each other in the chuunin exams. I'll have you know, I'll be winning this match, Forehead."

"Ha! In your dreams, Ino-pig! You're not getting past this point!"

"Why do you sound so passive? Already given up?"

"No, you're not getting past this point because I will..."

"We'll see about that..."

Naruto coughed, catching the attention of the two girls.

"Well, if you two are done, ready? Go!"

Sakura jumped back as Ino stayed in her spot. Naruto raised his eyebrow but turned and walked to the side. Ino smirked.

"Not confident enough to stay in the same spot? Come here, and let's settle this like the women we are."

Naruto sweat dropped at the logic. Sakura frowned.

"What, with sewing and cooking? I'd rather settle this as a kunoichi, dontcha think?"

The jounins stifled a chuckle as Naruto smiled. Sakura flicked out her wrist, sending three shuriken at Ino. Ino deflected all three with a Kunai she whipped out at the last moment.

"Come on, Forehead. Is that all you got?"

"Less talking, more doing, Ino-pig"

Sakura darted forward with her own kunai at hand, raising it upward for a downward diagonal strike. Ino kept smiling at Sakura in attempt to unnerve her. Hey, being the daughter of the head of the T&I department has some advantage. Learning how to manipulate an opponent mentally was part of being a Yamanaka. Sadly for Ino, Sakura is a Haruno, who are well known for their resistance to Genjutsu and mind techniques. Having a strong mentality and personality is what makes the Haruno clan one to look out for.

Naruto also taught Sakura that looking directly at your opponents face does nothing than screw up your peripheral vision. Just looking at the head of an opponent, one can only see the upper body plus space above the opponent's head. But by directing your attention to the stomach or the hips, one can see the whole body. This style of fighting can help anticipate the opponent's next move based on muscle movement and footwork. The style can also help against fighting someone with doujutsu, ehem, Sharingan, ehem.

Ino tried to counter but Sakura saw through her plans and immediately placed herself out of reach. Sakura launched the kunai while jumping away in the spur of the moment, catching Ino off guard. Ino clicked her tongue in annoyance before moving to the side slightly. The kunai grazed Ino's cheek, drawing blood. Ino screeched.

"Ugh, look what you've done! You cut my face! Now how am I suppose to impress Sasuke?"

Sasuke felt a shiver run down his spine as he backed away from the railing. Yoki only patted the Uchiha on the back before they both continued to watch the match.

Sakura jumped towards Ino again, this time cocking her fist back. Ino stepped back two steps to let Sakura crash into the ground in attempt to stop herself, or so Ino thought. Sakura just went through with the punch, slamming her fist into the floor. She let her chakra burst at contact, causing a small pizza sized crater before expanding in radius by two feet. The technique itself wasn't done yet in comparison to Senju Tsunade but considering Rin and Rei only introduced the concept to Sakura and not the technique itself, this feat was enormous. Naruto dead panned. _Crap, it's another Tsunade..._

Ino lost her footing as the ground below her gave way. She tried to jump back but Sakura only reached out to grab Ino's foot.

"I'm not letting you get away."

Sakura secured her hold on Ino's ankle and planted her feet in a sturdy stance. She twisted herself, adding torque, before lashing her arms out in attempt to throw Ino across the arena. Just as the contact between Sakura and Ino was pulled apart, Sakura let out a pulse of chakra to speed up the momentum, causing a spark of blue light to occur at that moment when Sakura let go.

"SHANNARO~!"

Ino squeaked in terror as she soared through the arena, crashing into the wall. She managed to crash feet first, bending her knees to slow the momentum down before shooting back off the wall towards Sakura.

"You'll pay for that!"

Sakura got into a more defensive stance at the sight of the approaching Ino. Ino cocked back her own fist. Sakura only sidestepped, grabbing Ino's wrist and flipping the blonde on her back. Without wasting a second thought, Sakura then side kicked Ino away.

"I'm going to show you why being a fan girl won't do. You any good."

"What are you talking about, you like Sasuke too, don't you! You just want me to stop so you could have him all to yourself!"

Sakura inwardly sighed in frustration. Ino is getting real annoying at this point. The rest of the room were sweat dropping too. _She just doesn't get it, does she..._

Ino got up and let out a few huffs of air in exhaustion.

"Here, Forehead..." Ino spat.

"Let me show you why the Yamanaka are so famous!"

Ino flung out her hands in front of her, connecting her index fingers, middle fingers and her thumbs together in a circle.

Shintenshin no Jutsu

Sakura tried to dodge Ino's line of fire but as she dove to the side, she suddenly collapsed. The silence was broken when a spectator commented loud enough for the whole stadium to hear.

"That pink haired girl is done for. There's no way anyone can survive a Yamanaka technique"

Naruto resisted to scoff because of his "neutrality' as proctor. But it didn't stop him from rolling his eyes. He focused back on the two girls in front of him, both starfished on the floor. If someone was to walk in the fight right now, they would think it was naptime or something. Ino had her butt stuck in the air as her face was planted into the ground while Sakura was sprawled out facing downward from the fall. The scene was almost comical. There was a silent competition as to who would regain consciousness. Did Ino succeed? The silence was almost too deafening for the audience to take.

Suddenly, Sakura snapped her head up and slowly stood up. The shadows covered her eyes for a moment before she revealed a smiling face.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu, success~!"

Sakura felt as her consciousness faded until she couldn't feel anything, well she could hear everything, but visual and touch senses were at zero. After hearing Ino report her jutsu was a success, Sakura couldn't help but feel completely hopeless. She had let her senseis down with this shameful defeat.

Naruto watched as Sakura's eyes changed from her her focused but panicked eyes to one of mockery and success. And when the pink haired girl reported a success in the Yamanaka technique, Naruto felt a tug at his chest. Yoki's eyes narrowed before shouting out.

"Ganbatte, Sakura! Whatever you do next, team 7 will be proud of you no matter what!"

Naruto smirked before facepalm in himself for his clones actions. A few jounins snickered.

"Aoba Yoki, please refrain from shouting out." _Clone, you better shut your trap._

Sakura flinched as she heard Yoki yell. She felt something swell in her chest. Wait, she felt? Ha! She felt something! She's regaining control!

'Sakura' proceeded to raise her hand before something physically stopped her. 'Sakura's' hand was trembling with resistance as if someone was preventing her from raising her hand completely.

"Wha-what's going on?"

Inside Sakura's head, Ino was panicking. Why didn't she have full control over Sakura's body? She suddenly felt a presence behind her so she whipped around. She looked up in horror as she saw a silhouette of Sakura with bold white kanji for 'Inner Sakura'. The silhouette spoke.

_"Here, Ino-pig, let me show you what the Haruno family is so famous for_!"

The silhouette suddenly tripled in size, towering over her like a large building. The silhouette cocked her fist.

"_GET-THE-HELL-OUT! SHANNARO~_!"

The shadow punched Ino really hard, forcing the blonde out of her head.

"Wha-?"

On the outside, Sakura closed her eyes and snapped them back open with determination. Naruto inwardly smiled as he watched Sakura regain her bearings. Ino also snapped her eyes open and quickly jumped up.

"Wha- what was that!"

"That was a Haruno's special mental defense, their inner self. Now, taste my wrath, Ino-pig!"

Sakura dashed forward with her fist cocked back. Ino darted forward as well with her own fist drawers for a punch as well. The two girls charged forward towards each other.

Time seemed to slow down for Sakura as she watched Ino approach. Sakura looked to her own fist for a second, charging up her last bit of chakra in it. This is it. The last attack. Sakura's fist glowed a bright green the shade of her eyes.

"Kuso kurae! (Eat shit)"

The two girls snapped their fist out. Ino struck at Sakura's temple as Sakura caught her jawbone. Sakura was instantly knocked out and Ino was launched all the way to the side of the arenal. Ino lost consciousness the moment her head hit the wall. Naruto quickly stepped up and called the medics.

"Because neither parties can continue, I declare this match a draw. Neither will continue the test."

After the clean up crew finished up, Naruto looked at the board for the next set of names. The screen scrambled and rearranged itself to the next pair.

"Konohagakure's Akimichi Chouji... And Otogakure's Satsuki Jinjuro."

Chouji lumbered his way to the front, slowly watching as a burly genin leapt from the balcony. The Oto nin was pretty big for a genin, probably, no, definitely older than the average twelve year old genin. The teen was a staggering six feet tall with a yellow buzz cut. Naruto inwardly grimaced. This guy was practically shaming blond hair. I mean, come on! Aren't blonde guys suppose to be attractive looking? Not some tank that looks like his face went through a blender. The hair looked greasy even though the hair was short. Then Naruto had to hide a gag when the tank smiled, or more like grimaced. The guy had probably the most yellow teeth he had ever seen. Gaps split the teeth that were bent out of shape. (Just imagine Gollum from LOTR) Naruto barely hid his shudder.

Chouji refrained from shrinking back from the towering opponent. Chouji nervously looked to his Sensei, Asuma, who having him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. He even saw Naruto give a small sympathetic smile to him, which was slightly encouraging too.

"Alright, are the two parties ready? Go!"

Chouji jumped back as Jinjuro brought his two fists down to the floor. Even Naruto had to jump back. Naruto's eyes were narrowed because he was almost caught in the blast but he had to say, he was impressed. The speed the tank displayed for his stature was something to brag home about. But Naruto resigned back to his scowl before leaning against the wall to supervise the match.

Jinjuro dashed forward with unimaginable speeds, sending a fist to Chouji. Chouji barely managed to clear the hit, letting the fist graze his back. Chouji bit his lip from the pain. The graze burned! How was that possible!

The smell of burnt flesh was caught by Naruto who snapped his head at Chouji in attention. Chouji tried to clear some distance between Jinjuro and himself but it was all in vain as Jinjuro kept gaining in him.

"Come on little kiddy, you're not going to keep running from me, are ya?"

Naruto and Chouji, and probably the rest of the twelve year olds in the room, felt their spines shiver. Jinjuro's voice sounded like metal grinding against a blackboard along with a hint of pedophilia. The guy was really creepy.

Chouji decided that he needed to finish this fast because he would probably tire himself out if he kept running. Chouji stopped, letting himself skid across the floor while his momentum kept him moving. He flashed through some hand seals.

Bebun baika no Jutsu

Chouji's arms grew twice their normal size and Chouji launched then at Jinjuro. Underestimating them, Jinjuro smiked and crossed his arms in front of him, forming an x-block. Jinjuro took the full blunt force of Chouji's attack, launched across the floor as he fell onto his back, skidding. Chouji shrunk his arms back and went through another set of hand seals.

Nikudan sensha!

Chouji expanded then rolled himself up into a ball. Chouji charged at Jinjuro who only smirked again. Jinjuro drew his foot back and kicked Chouji like a soccer ball. Inwardly, Chouji was grimacing as he was kicked away._ Ugh, his hits are not only heavy but they also burn! It's like they are laced with chakra or maybe poison. If it's poison, I better hurry._ Chouji pulled out wire and kunais, strapping them to himself before he expanded himself again.

Nikudan Hari sensha!

Chouji sped towards Jinjuro, destroying the floor with the spikes that protruded out of him. The next thing that happened really shocked everyone. Jinjuro smirked and attempted to catch Chouji's rolling form, with his bare hands. Naruto blanched. Was the guy fucking stupid, or what? Didn't underestimating Chouji before teach him anything? _What a dimwit_. When it was too late Jinjuro realized he couldn't catch the rolling spike ball and attempted to retract his hands only realizing that if he did, his whole body would get the hit.

Chouji was inwardly panicking, thinking it would be too easy just to roll up there and hit Jinjuro, and that the guy must be planning something. Chouji charged nonetheless.

Jinjuro winced in pain at Chouji made contact with his hands. Jinjuro watched as he hands got caught on the rotating ball, pumping chakra to the limbs in hopes of protection. Protection he got, however it didn't do much considering Jinjuro's hands were cut up with deep gashes. Chouji spinned away and stopped the Jutsu watching as Jinjuro painfully assesses his wounds. Naruto fought the urge to facepalm himself for Jinjuro's lack of intelligence.

Chouji got on defense but it was futile. With Jinjuro's superior speed, he disappeared then reappeared in front of Chouji, lashing out his foot into Chouji's stomach. Jinjuro's hands were bleeding substantially, causing the nin to feel light headed, he let out a growl as he continued his barrage of kicks towards Chouji, unable to use his arms anymore.

Chouji couldn't defend himself from the attacks but he persisted, blocking as much as he could. Suddenly, the attacks stopped. Chouji looked up to see that Jinjuro's eyes had rolled back and the towering figure was now leaning towards him at a dangerous speed. Chouji saw the body coming but his own body wouldn't move. Jinjuro's unconscious self dropped onto Chouji, knocking the twelve year old out.

Naruto quickly darted over, yanking Jinjuro's body by the collar with unimaginable strength. Naruto separated the two and called the medics out. Naruto made eye contact with his father who nodded towards him. As if an unspoken message was sent, Naruto nodded back.

The medics struggled with the body of Jinjuro only to have the twelve year old jounin heft the overweight genin on his shoulder. The medics bowed in thanks and took Chouji away. Before exiting the arena with Jinjuro, Naruto turned to the audience.

"Due to both parties not being able to continue, I declare a draw. Both parties cannot continue the chuunin test. Excuse me"

Naruto lazily brought one hand up into a one handed ram seal and shunshined away. The audience grew restless at the absence of the jounin until a cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of the arena, revealing the one and only, one-eyed, silver haired jounin. During Kakashi's entrance, no one noticed a konoha genin leave, weaving through the crowd, and exiting the arena. Kakashi caught glimpse of the fleeing genin and smirked behind his mask

"Because the previous proctor had to help the medics move an injured participant, I will be taking over. Let's get on with the next match, shall we?"

Kakashi also looked at Minato who only gave a quick smile. The audience waited as the board began to spin. Once it landed, Kakashi only laughed a bit.

"Konohagakure's Aoba Yoki... And an opponent of the Hokage's choosing."

Minato let out a hearty chuckle as the group started to murmur. Sasuke whipped around to see his 'teammate' only to find that he was gone. There was a slight pause as no one stepped out in the place of Aoba Yoki. The murmurs erupted again but only halted when there was a poof of smoke next to Kakashi.

"Yo, sorry I'm late, had to help some people outside..."

Kakashi chuckled.

"Oh, following your sensei's footsteps?"

Yoki only chuckled back and pulled out a book on sealing and hid his face, just like how a silver haired jounin would with his porn book.

"...A little"

Kakashi was a bit alarmed at how the Yoki character was so much like him, the whole mask and gravity defying hair. Hell, the shape of the hair was like his too, except that it was brown and not silver. Kakashi only laughed again and turned to the Hokage, Yoki doing the same.

Minato looked at the two and then looked at the set of jounins. Who would fight his 'son'? Minato then pointed out to one standing in the balcony.

"Sarutobi Asuma, please step forward"

Asuma looked slightly startled but stepped forward, nonetheless. A jounin fighting a genin? That's unheard of! Kakashi looked at the two.

"Alright, Asuma. You'll be fighting Yoki over here. You also get to decide the result of this fight, you don't need to make him incapacitated nor does he have to beat you. You will measure out his skill and determine should he pass or fail."

Asuma nodded nervously. He looked back at the boy. Obviously he'll have to hold back if the kid wants to survive to take the test again. Since when did the chuunin exams ask genins to fight jounins in a full out fight? Kakashi stepped aside.

"Ready? Begin!"

-

an:/sorry for the late response? See ya later? Jutsu translation: All of them are the same from the series, so uh, Rough translation:

Ino: Shintenshin-mind body switch technique

Chouji: First jutsu- human bullet tank

second jutsu-spiked human bullet tank

note: Ganbatte: its like an encouragement, no actual direct translation, i think. Rough translation: good luck? -ish (This is just off of personal knowledge, don't trust me, I didn't formally learn japanese)


	24. Chapter 24-OMAKE

An:/ I'm really sorry for snapping like that in the previous chapter. I realize that that was really immature of me and frankly a bit rude. I just have a short fuse and that being said, I normally return threats in the most immature way possible. The whole true fan thing was indeed a low blow as was the rest of it and I'm really sorry. I guess it takes me a bit of time to realize that this isn't some sort of fight with readers. I shouldn't be rude to my readers and I'm frankly surprised that you ( pissed off reader) stuck around to read the next chapter. And I really thank you for that, you're more mature than I should have realized. You were right to your own merit.

Anyways, I will still remind everyone that I hate really rude reviews, I don't care if you say the story sucks, as long as you say it nicely I will try to improve it for you.

Sorry for the **extremely** slow update, it's normally not like this but I had midterms and all my teachers had been cramming all the projects and tests in this short period of ten-ish days. That and the week being exam days, lets just say I didn't have the free time anymore. But that doesn't mean I should neglect this story or anything. I can always make time for you guys :)

Responses to your cries of frustration:

I know that failing Sakura was completely outta the blue. Whoops? Regardless, it's part of my plot and I got this all planned out already. This story is still following the same timeline as the series, meaning that if an event occurs on a specific date in the series, the same event will occur in mine with a twist. Also, regarding Asuma vs. Naruto being suspicious, I had already planned out what was going to happen in this chapter, so I already figured the whole thing would be suspicious, but nothing a small jutsu can't fix, whoops too much info heehee. Next chapter maybe?

Also note, I am typing this from my phone as was the previous chapter so any blatant typo or lack of ending note for explanation is all because of my lack of patience and lack of "texting" skill. Funny because my English teacher thinks I can't write for my life and thought I was texting in her class. Nope! Just writing a mega awesome story!

HAHAHAHHAA I'm gonna make you guys wait a bit, let you squirm in your seats for the next match, **AS I MAKE THIS CHAPTER A PURE OMAKE! AND THE NEXT CHAPTER TOO! NO UPDATE ON THE ACTUALLY STORY ITSELF! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA**. Actually, I hate to put this on you because personally I hate fillers, but it needs to be done...or it's just not interesting! Beside I heard someone say once, Fillers are trash, but those who make fillers are worse than trash! A wise quote from a wise man, and I just called myself trash. Sorry! Omake for the writers block I'm suffering from...

-

"Nee, Naruto-nii, what are we gonna do!"

"Shut up, Saru, and sit down properly! I will not have you sprawled on my lap, nagging me, while I eat my ramen!"

Konohamaru snapped up straight, almost whacking the bowl straight out of Naruto's hands, earning him a bone chilling glare from the blond.

"Sorry, Naruto-nii, but really, we don't have much to do, ya know?"

"After I finish this bowl in peace we'll stop by the Hokage's office. I have some errands to run, questions to ask, important business to take care of-"

"Don't sound like you actually have a life, Naruto-nii. It's unfitting. We all know you're pretty lazy."

Naruto shot a glare at Konohamaru who shrunk back a bit. The genin lifted his hands as a show surrender, smiling meekly at the jounin. Naruto turned around before he could see a new customer barge into the ramen stand violently, successfully knocking Konohamaru over into Naruto, who unfortunately knocked his bowl of ramen accidentally. Konohamaru let out a shrill squeal as he watched Naruto collapse to the ground. Konohamaru started visibly shaking when the blonde slowly got up. Naruto's bangs hid his eyes as he dusted himself off and turned to Konohamaru, snapping his head up in fervor. Konohamaru was on the verge of pissing himself as the blonde made his way closer, icy blue eyes practically piercing his soul and through him.

"N-Naruto-nii, I swear-"

Konohamaru was cut short when Naruto reached out with lightning fast speeds at the genin's face. Konohamaru flinched but was quickly shoved to the floor as the blonde took his place. Naruto reached over to the rude customer and grabbed his shoulder, wrenching to the side, forcing the man to face him. Naruto snarled.

"You got a problem with me, huh?"

The man had grease black hair slicked back, a few stands hanging loosely down his large forehead. The unibrow scrunched towards the center in slight anger, riding atop a pair of black beady eyes. A slight sense of déjà vu of a green spandex wearing jounin struck Naruto but he let it slide. The markings on the man's face showed that he was part of the Inuzuka clan, but not the main branch. The man wore a scowl as he looked at the blonde and then bursted out laughing.

"Shouldn' I be sayin' that, huh, brat? Little kiddies like you shouldn' be goin' 'round pickin' fights wit' grown men like myself. Heh, mus' be outta yer mind..."

Naruto growled and added a bit more force to the man's shoulder who flinched but stayed silent.

"Wanna test out that little theory of yours, huh, shit face?"

"Lil' pipsqueak, I ain' afraid o' you! Go run along and be a good lil' brat. I ain' got time for this."

"Who are you calling pipqueak, you little fuck! I'll make your carcass unidentifiable after I'm through with you! Then I'll feed the rest of you to a pack of wild dogs. I bet they haven't tasted shit stains before, you'll be their first. Cowards like you aren't even worthy of dog food anyways, ask an Inuzuka."

"Why you- let's take this outside!" The man roared.

"That's the spirit!" Naruto responded with a malevolent grin.

Konohamaru gulped in fear, not for himself. No, definitely not for himself. He feared the outcome of the man, or what would be left of the man afterward. There are things that are considered signing a death wish, like stabbing yourself with a kunai, jumping into a shark infested pool with a gash on yourself, or picking a fight with a blonde haired jounin who had the temper of the Sannin, Tsunade, and the skill of an A to S ranked Shinobi. Dear Kami, that man had it bad. Konohamaru contemplated between interfering now and killing himself while trying or getting help from the Hokage, who, at this point, seemed like the only person who could possibly stop the jounin successfully.

Konohamaru's thoughts were cut off by a large crash as he jumped up from the ground and looked outside the stand. The man that Naruto had picked a fight with was now crumpled to the floor with pieces of trash littered around him from the trashcan he apparently crashed into. Naruto gave one last glare at the man before turning around and walking down the street, mumbling.

_"One flick and he was out. Totally not worth my time..."_

Konohamaru sweat dropped but quickly chased after his Sensei.

-

The pair made it to the Hokage's tower safely, or more like safely for the civilians. Sakura an Sasuke stood outside patiently until their Sensei and fellow teammate showed up. Sakura placed her hands on her hips and looked at the two motherly, chiding.

"You two, again! You both need to stop being so late! It's bad for a Shinobi, especially you, Naruto, you're a jounin."

Konohamaru stuck his tongue out at Naruto, earning a whack on the head from Sakura. The team proceeded to share greetings before entering the tower.

Konohamaru bursted through the doors of the Hokage's office, marching in with pride and arrogance puffed out on his chest. But it wasn't for long as Naruto swiftly made it into the office as well and gripped the Sarutobi in a headlock. Sakura and Sasuke walked in soon after. Naruto took a moment to glance up at his father, who was stuck in his seat with a bemused look.

"So, Team Naruto, what brings you here today?"

Naruto did a rough bow, still locking Konohamaru in his arms.

"Excuse my genin, he's a bit dull on manners, right, Saru? Um, mission, I hope."

Konohamaru did an imitation of a rapid nod in hopes he could get out of the rock hard hold the jounin had on him. Much to his chagrin, Naruto didn't relent even at his response, only to tighten the grip. Minato let out a hearty chuckle and opened a drawer at his desk.

"Well, I have a few missions you can take, though I have a really important one that needs to be taken care of. It's a high C-rank. I don't have any chunins at hand to take it, but I'm sure your team will do just fine..."

Konohamaru miraculously sprang out of Naruto's grip, yelling out with glee.

"ALRIGHT! What is it? Assassination? Destroying an entire army? Saving the world? Rescuing princesses? Guarding daimyos? Becoming Hokage?"

Naruto snapped out of his daze and locked Konohamaru back into a chokehold. Minato took a small blue scroll out.

"Actually, it is one of those, kind of. You will be guarding a princess for a duration if five days, not including the days it takes to escort her back to her country."

Naruto grabbed the scroll from Minato's outstretched hand and took a glance at the jounin blanched at the undercover requirements. He gave a glare towards the Hokage who only returned a shrug with an innocent look.

"Seriously?" Naruto dead panned.

"They asked for it. At least I'm gonna send a really attract-"

"No favoritism, Dad. You can't just claim I'm perfect for this job because of my genes. That's being bias."

"We'll I'm not gonna deny anything. The Namikaze gene is just too hard to resist."

Sakura agreed enthusiastically, in her head, of course. Naruto gave a lazy look at his father before turning back to his genins.

"Well, squirts, we're going on an escort mission. It's not particularly an undercover mission anymore...due to who is going on this mission..."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh, leaving Minato chuckling behind him.

"We'll be going as a...a..."

"Say it Naruto..."

"I was getting to it, father! Anyways, I, uh, will be going as myself, and you three are my bodyguards..."

The three genin paused a moment before yelling out.

"WHAT?!"

Naruto flinched back from the loud sound before looking back at them sheepishly.

"Yondaime Hokage's son and Namikaze heir, here. But hey, at least you don't have to escort the princess personally. You just gotta pretend you're watching me will I, uh, keep the princess busy. Come to think of it, you set me up, didn't you, father..."

Minato let out an awkward chuckle which Naruto responded with a glare.

"Anyways, we leave tomorrow at noon when the princess is ready to depart. Bring formal clothes and what not...Alright. See ya!"

Naruto gave a slow wave with a stupid grin plastered on his face as he watched the genin file out. As soon as the door shut close, Naruto whipped around and slammed his hands on the desk.

"Alright, tell me what this is for! I didn't sign up for any of this! Pretending to be the fiance of the freaking princess?"

Minato stifled a laughter before turning serious.

"She is quite aware its only a cover but I'm counting on this to build a treaty with the Land of pebbles. They are right off the coast of where Uzushiogakure no Sato was and your mother and I are working on a project that involves the lands. I can't have the Land of Pebbles blindly attack us. Besides, the girl is sick and tired of suitors. Help her out, will ya?"

Naruto drooped he shoulders, rolled his head back, and groaned. After a pause of silence.

"Fine, Tou-san. I'll do it. But you owe me big time."

"15 bowls."

"25"

"15"

"30"

"18"

"28"

"20"

"25"

"20"

"25"

"20"

"35"

"Dammit, fine. 25"

"25 bowls it is."

"My wallet isn't growing any fatter, ya know."

"Your loss, 25 bowls of ramen for me! Not my problem you suck at Bargains...it's a wonder how you get peace treaties right..."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"What was that? Couldn't hear you over the sound of 25 bowls of ramen..."

"Gaki..."

"Well, excuse me, Hokage-sama. I have to prepare for a ridiculous mission tomorrow. I must acquire some formal clothing, thank you very much. I'll be off now, Tootaloo"

Naruto waved and flashed out. Minato gritted his teeth and banged his head against the table.

"I also regret teaching that kid my jutsu...dammit."

-

"Urg, when is Sensei going to arrive! I feel like we've been waiting here for eons!"

"Shut it, Saru"

"Che, he probably picked a fight again over ramen."

"You got a problem with Ramen, You stupid monkey?"

"N-Nothing, N-Naruto-nii"

"Good"

Naruto reached out and placed his hands on Sakura and Konohamaru's shoulders. Each whipped around and their jaws nearly dropped. Nearly.

"What."

"The."

"HELL! NARUTO-SENSEI! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side.

"Hmm?"

Naruto was dressed in a full Hakama with a large scroll attached to his back. The pants were dark blue and the Namikaze signia was etched across the back of his white top. His Inari sword was suspended from his belt. He had a dark red scarf in the place of his bib and his mask was slanted on his head.

"Oh, this? My clothes."

Sakura covered her nose to stop the bleeding. He looked so hot! But of course, Konohamaru was not buying it.

"Yeah, well why the hell are you wearing these 'Clothes' in the first place, kore?" (an:/I figured I should give him his verbal tick in this story too,)

"I'm the Namikaze Heir and the son of the Yondaime, why else?"

"Yeah but shouldn't you be in your, I don't know, jounin uniform? This ain't some vacation! This is a high level C-rank!"

"Why else would I have my sword then?"

"I don't know, decoration?"

Naruto glared at him before he got into a stance. Konohamaru blanched as he flinched back, raising his hands in front of him.

"N-Naruto?"

"Decoration, you say? I'll show you decoration!"

In a sudden flash, Naruto had drawn his sword on Konohamaru. It was over instantly as Konohamaru fell on his rear. A few strands of hair fell into his lap and Konohamaru snapped his head up, meeting the smirk of Naruto.

"I ain't the Shinobi no Inari for nothing, Saru. Keep that in mind."

"Oho- is this what my escorts are made of? The Yondaime really went out of his way! His own son on top of it. I should've really raise the stakes if it was going to be this good..."

Naruto shifted out of stance and turned to the new voice.

"Kagiri-sama, good afternoon."

"Ara, no need to be so formal. You're going to be my fiance for the time being, right, Namikaze-kun"

F-fiance? Sakura was taken back. _Naruto-kun was someones fiance already?_ She looked at the princess, taking in the sight of a really beautiful girl. Her hair was a deep red color that was tied up in a delicate bun and her Kimono was Her thoughts were cut short when Naruto cut in.

"Just to shake off the suitors. Just for the time being. I'm only thirteen. I'd like to stay single for a while..."

Sakura's feelings were like trying to build a card castle. You'd think you'd have it but then it gets knocked down soon after. She was relieved that it was just for the time being and that it wasn't for real. But then her relief was crushed under the fact that Naruto wasn't looking into relationships...for a long time. _What is this injustice!_ Inner Sakura cried.

"Hmm, but to think your bodyguards are little genin. It's...unsuiting."

"No, there is nothing wrong with my genins, they're just here for the ride. I'm a jounin, perfectly capable of protecting myself. They're just here for the 'mission'"

"Hmmm. Well, shall we get going then?"

Kagiri took her time as she walked past the gates with her entourage following close behind. Team 7 took their time to just watch as the mass moved out into the forest. Naruto quickly turned to the team.

"Take formation C and don't break it under any circumstances. I will but upfront with Kagiri-sama."

"Hai!"

"Disperse!"

The three genin disappeared to the sides of the caravan. Sasuke taking the rear and Sakura and Konohamaru taking the sides. There was a yell from Kagiri to fetch refreshments and a squawk from the servants in response. Naruto sighed and dusted off his pants.

"This is going to be a long trip, isn't it."

With that, the blonde flashed away.

-

The trip to the Land of Pebbles was a short and silent one. Just the way Naruto liked it. A few stops were required when Kagiri couldn't take the motion sickness or she needed to see the landscapes. Naruto would sweatdrop at the melodrama. Princesses. He could never understand them. Shinobi and Kunoichi, yes. Royalty, no.

When they entered the village, it was almost like a festival. The villagers all welcomed the caravan with vigor and celebration. The princess waved at her people with a sense of superiority yet a touch of down to earth connection. The princess really loved her people and Naruto could see it in her eyes. He was glad that Kagiri was at least a good princess, maybe not shinobi or typical civilian material, but at least she was a good leader.

First thing Naruto noticed, however, was the amount of redheads in the village. Sure his mother was a redhead, a pretty one at that. But Kushina was the only one in Konoha with ruby red hair. Here, almost everyone had the same colored hair. It must be the Uzumaki blood. The fact that Uzushiogakure is so close by, the intermingling probably happened before the clan was wiped out. Naruto's attention was caught when he heard something.

_"And it's Namikaze Uzumaki san!"_

_"Uzumaki?"_

_"Yeah! He's an Uzumaki! The son of the heiress, Uzumaki Kushina!"_

_"Wow! He's here!"_

_"So cool!"_

"Looks like you're famous here, too..."

Naruto looked to his side to see Kagiri smiling at him. His eyebrows rose.

"Nobody told me Uzumaki were famous here. I would've brought my mother."

"Hmm, yes. She would've been welcomed here. Where was she, by the way?"

"Mission."

"Ah, the Shinobi life. I don't really understand, but I'm not really expected to..."

"Royalty should not get their hands dirty. Leave it to us, Shinobi."

"Ah, but you forget, Namikaze-kun, you are royalty as well..."

"Our royalty and yours are different, Kagiri-hime. We aren't to be respected for our name. No, we are respected for our battlefield prowess. It's how the Uzumakis were, it's also how the Namikazes are as well."

"Hmm, though you have been brought up as a Shinobi, you talk like Royalty. This has only been brought up now. You're bodyguards receive no such tone. Why the difference in respect given?"

Naruto inwardly smirked as he watched Kagiri mindlessly wave at her people, giving them heart warming smiles. She was a keen one, wasn't she.

"I don't base respect base off of the way I say things. I treat them the way they treat me. They don't understand the political stand point of my clan names. They only know me as the Yondaime Hokage's son. Which is important in Konohagakure no Sato, but not as important as Daimyo's and their families. Besides, these three are my subordinates and students. Of course, I don't talk to them as equals because they can't lift a finger against me. Sure I respect them for their individual reasons. Sasuke for is advanced skill, Konohamaru for his creativity, and Sakura...her intelligence and inner strength. But they aren't my equals...yet."

Kagiri almost smiled at Naruto's hesitance. At first it would seem like he had nothing to say and made up something, but after his answer, it was more like trying to find the right words to use without undermining the qualities.

"Perhaps you respect them, no, her, a lot more than you think..."

"Hmm? What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"Nothing, Namikaze-kun. We'll be at the palace soon..."

"Hn."

-

In between two large cliffs, the palace laid snug in the canyon. The entire palace was hidden in the shadows, chilled air all around to the point that Naruto could see his breath as he exhaled. The palace, itself was the size of Konoha, give or take. Kagiri, Naruto, and team 7 walked down the flat stone slab path that led down an entire field of sand. Boulders were placed at different places with small pebbles around and the sand raked into swirls and lines. The slab path diverged to different buildings with two guards at the entrances along with two dragon statues behind each one. The farthest building in front was the size of the Hokage mountain with pillars of red and balconies of the darkest oak. It was breathtaking at the sheer size of the main house. There were flags with red swirls and others with small circles in a bigger circle. The entire place was eerily silent.

Konohamaru broke the silence as he reached over the path to grab sand. To his dismay and pain, his hand was repelled and made a slight sizzling noise as a faint glow of a barrier appeared, disappearing as fast as it came. Kagiri stifled a laugh with her fan.

"Seals. We thank the Uzumaki for that. Actually, this whole place was made by the Uzumakis, preserved by their seals."

Naruto stoically whacked Konohamaru while he passed him and continued to walk forward.

"The Uzumaki were quite advanced for their time. Technology completely buried forever in the depths of this palace. There's a reason why you're here, Namikaze-kun, or should I say Uzumaki now that we are at your origin."

Naruto nodded once before looking back at the buildings around him, still letting his ninja senses rule his actions. Regardless of his origins, he was not going to be caught off guard, especially now that his genin were completely awestruck at the architecture and not their surroundings. It was true that the Uzumaki were advanced for their time, but there was a reason why the Uzumaki clan was completely wiped out.

They had made this entire palace a one-way-in-one-way-out to 'protect' themselves and their secrets. And protect their secrets, they did. Now that all the known Uzumaki, except two in Konoha, were wiped out, no one could access the archives or vaults. The clan figured that if they were going to go down, they should all go down, with their secrets with them. Well now that an Uzumaki blood, regardless of purity or not, was in the premises, the treasures could in fact be broken with just a drop of his blood. One drop, and all the vaults and archives can open themselves. Well not all since he was still a mixed blood, but some of them, and 'some of them' was still a lot. This was also why Kushina was not sent here, if they had gotten their hands on her blood, all her clan's secrets, including the forbidden ones, could be revealed, sold, stolen, used, tainted.

Then the question is, why would Minato send his son? The dangers are still there, aren't they? True. But the land of Pebbles insisted that an Uzumaki be sent otherwise it would be seen as rude. Minato and Naruto were suspicious of their urgency to have an Uzumaki. Could they be after the Uzumaki secrets? Naruto was cut short when he heard Sakura whack Konohamaru across the head again.

"Baka! Shut up!"

Naruto looked back up front, with a still expressionless face that rivaled the Uchiha's. Kagiri eyed the blonde next to her as she continued to walk. Though he was slouched back, hand resting on the hilt of his blade lazily, she knew that he was ready to attack at any moment. His face void of any expression worried him. Most people would react like the genin have, wonder, awe, curiosity. She didn't see anything on the blonde's face, almost as if he wasn't really paying attention to the brilliance of the place, seeing it as another battlefield._ It's going to be hard to crack this one..._  
-

there were no jutsus...right? ANyways, next chapter of the OMAKE! what is the real purpose of the mission! FIND OUT NEXT TIME! hopefully I'll update faster...hopefully...


	25. Chapter 25

AN:/ haha, if you liked the OMAKE you're just going to have to wait for it next time since it takes time to write it. Since all of you were looking forward to this fight between Asuma and Yoki, I was like, why not. So here it is, the fight between the two. I might have to update really slowly so stay with me! Don't worry, I won't be going on Hiatus for this story anytime soon. Also for the NARUSAKU people: most of the lovin' won't come till the next time skip...which will kinda be in a while. This is strictly progressive, and eventual. I don't believe in falling in love at age 12-13...frankly it's too young to be deciding that kind of stuff so...When they are fifteen-sixteen, I'll start the real fluff between the two. There will be absolutely no lemon in this, strictly T rated. I also have a feeling, a majority of you like this story for the action as well so romance isn't really the main objective here, but an objective nonetheless. Do not fear, though. It will happen eventually and Naruto will have to fall hard somehow...in an odd way. I'm not too good with teacher-student relationships...thank god they're roughly the same age! (It's not the same dilemma as femNaru/Kaka, a pairing which I have fell in love with, where the two characters are roughly 15 years apart. It's a shame that not many people read this stuff...so I decided I'm going to contribute to it later, adding my own story...later, har har har. I recommend it though, as I already mentioned my reasons earlier...) enough with my personal opinions. You're here for the story, not my authors note! Anyways, if you have any questions, ask! PM or review, whichever medium you choose. Hopefully I will address it. And if there is anything (within reason) that you want to happen, I'll look into it and see if I can incorporate it (no promises though). Even if it's a scene that isn't part of the series, like, I don't know, a made up mission (like previous chapter) I can still do something with it. Also, if you have an idea on some fluff I can add, or a scene between Narusaku, I can add it...and what not... :D

On a different note:

Alright, perhaps I wasn't clear the first time around. Let's rephrase my words to make you feel better, or worse, your choice.

Read the fucking story properly before you start spouting nonsense.

Reviewer: Ppsh wrote,  
"Our sensei has blonde hair, is the same age as us, and is a prodigy... GEE, I  
WONDER WHO IT MIGHT BE? It's not like we were in the same fucking class. Is  
Sasuke and Sakura retarded or what? And what's the bloody point of having him  
disguise himself? Not only is it unbelievable that they'd fall for such  
rubbish, it serves absolutely no purpose anyway. The idea that his identity  
would be classified, from his own genin, is a joke.

Now it looks like you're just going to retell canon with Naruto as a mary sue  
mixed with a whole heap of bad jokes."

...Oh god, my control over my emotions practically doubled when I had to resist cyber punching you in the fucking face. Readers! I strongly encourage reading this asshole's biography/rant about things he hates...too bad all of them are practically what fanfiction is all about. Why are you even on here then? S'excuse me "Australian male" that we don't suit your tastes...you want something other than pairings and awesome stories about anime, go watch some porn, I'm sure their plot lines are better suited for your tastes.

Alright once again (oh yeah, you had the decency to right this 8 chapters in), I do not fucking appreciate rude reviews. First off, clearly I said that Naruto was not in their class...duh, why the hell would they recognize someone who graduated couple years earlier than them? Why would Naruto be placed on genin team with Reno and Rei, not Sasuke and Sakura? Clearly Naruto isn't godlike, which I've also mentioned several times. Now, why do ANBU wear masks I you can tell who it is behind the mask by the color of their hair, oh I don't know? Gee, lemme think about that for a moment as I bathe in your stupidity. Come on people! I thought high school students were the bottom of the food chain in terms of intelligence among adults! Well that's a bit of a stretch but still. Oh, and sorry that I'm not a natural comedian, making money off of people's laughs. Wait, why am I even apologizing to a puke stain?

I've learned, after starting my own fanfiction, that it takes so much hard work to write stories. My blood and sweat went into making this story just like every other author and their story. When someone reviews a chapter of mine, I read it first out of all the other emails I get. One time, I woke up, read this awesome review, and was happy the entire day, even with only three hours of sleep. I see every name of who favorites, follows, or reviews my stories, taking pride in my work, and I know other authors probably do the same. So, when a fucking asshole decides to be a total jackass on other (not just mine) reviews, I blow the roof because I know it's not a good feeling. If I feel that a story isn't written right, I tell them how to fix it and encourage them to continue, not blame them for their shortcomings. Come on people, where is the love?

Man, and I was so close to favoriting his stories...IF HE HAD ANY.

Why do I receive all this hate? Do I have a sticky note on my back saying "kick me" or something? What have I done to receive malice?

I won't apologize for this bite back, knowing since you're only at chapter 8 (and probably stopped there and won't be able to read this). I don't believe I should personally respond to you so I'm doing it publicly. PMs are for nice people with nice questions. Humph, at least the pissed off reader was right, I was wrong, so I apologized and thank god he had the heart to forgive (Note to "Pissed off reader": thanks for doing so, and continuing to follow my story, by the way. You're the best). But, I will not apologize for your lack of reading skills, and appreciation. I won't apologize for your inability to see past your narrow mind and the inability so be somewhat vaguely polite to strangers. I'm dead serious to all you readers out there, not just me, but everyone who writes stories should be appreciated for the fact that they have the balls to write their creativity out and let the whole world read it. If you read a story and was like, "man, that was a great chapter." Post a review and tell the author! He or she would feel great that someone enjoyed their story. And if you feel any particular dislike towards it...don't say anything. A nice rule to follow...don't like, don't read. No one is forcing you to read this stuff so why shove all your hate on the authors shoulders? Lets put this into perspective. I personally don't like the twilight series...but I don't hold hate to anyone who reads it. It's their prerogative and everyone has their own tastes. You don't see me going on every twilight fanfic and giving bad reviews like "lol all dis sucks" like some asshole. Actually, I read the twilight series and even read a fanfiction that was pretty good (lol not fifty shades of grey, but I thought the idea of that book being a twilight fanfic hilarious) so don't think once that just because someone reads something or does something that they automatically deserve to be judged...now I'm going off topic so let's end it here.

Thank you to all those that stuck around...I really love you all and I hope you continue to follow my awesome story. Screw all those haters ;P

Alright, now that I feel like my steam has blown off...

Let's-a go!

* * *

Asuma stood there a bit struck as to what he should do. Asuma quickly tried to shake out of it. He was a jounin, dammit! He should be able to react to this in a calm manner. However Asuma continued to stare, unable to form any logical thought.

"You know, standing there is going to be a lot easier for me, Sarutobi-san"

Asuma snapped his head towards Yoki and frowned.

"You make it seem like you already have the cat in the bag. How can you seem so confident as a genin going up against a jounin."

"Hm, you really think that, the Hokage would really pitch a genin up against a jounin for fun? He probably knows that if go against a genin, I would destroy their chances in ever become chuunin."

"A bit too arrogant there, Dontcha think?"

Naruto disappeared a moment before reappearing behind Asuma an whispering in his ear.

"What do you think? Then again, I could be undercover and that this whole thing is part of the cover, am I right, Sarutobi-san?"

Asuma's eyes widened a split second before he whipped around and drove a haymaker at the genin, only to hit air. Asuma flinched when he heard the voice whisper into his ear.

"Oh, come on. Make this fun for me, okay?"

"Who are you" Asuma growled.

Asuma whipped around to see no one behind him. Then he looked around only to notice the balconies were empty which was extremely- Genjutsu! Asuma dropped the Genjutsu only to appear at the beginning of the match, facing Yoki with Kakashi standing between the two. Yoki smirked underneath the match.

"I said, Sarutobi-san, standing there is going to make my job a lot easier."

"Who are you..."

"Aoba Yoki, who else.."

Asuma narrowed. Sure his Genjutsu wasn't that good but to be caught in something like that right off the bat by a genin, something was definitely up. Yoki only looked passively at the other jounin, much like Kakashi would. Kakashi just jumped away and opened his little orange book. Asuma got into stance.

"No genjutsu again?" He raised his eyebrows.

Yoki took his glasses off, raking his fingers through his hair.

"Just make sure I pass...Sarutobi-san...this is pretty important to me..."_ and Konoha._

Asuma narrowed his eyes, taking in the underlying message. He charged forward at incredible speeds causing Yoki to drop the glasses on the floor and jump back. Asuma jumped as well, maintaining his momentum forward as he made his way towards Yoki. Asuma took out his trench knives and Yoki took out a pair of kunai. The weapons made contact and Asuma pressed on, prolonging their air time. Yoki took a glance downward before looking back at Asuma with expressionless eyes.

"Come on, Sarutobi-san...let's not make this harder than it has to be-"

"Not until I know who you are"

Yoki frowned a bit before quickly dropping to the floor before Asuma and darting towards the wall. Asuma landed on the ground, chasing after the genin.

"What happened to the confidence, 'Aoba Yoki'. Running away, already?" Asuma taunted.

Yoki turned his head and stuck his tongue out.

"Maybe..."

Asuma narrowed his eyes but charged forward nonetheless. Yoki abruptly stopped and flipped over to face Asuma, eyes determined, mouth stretched into a grin. Asuma abruptly stopped a few meters away and stood up straight. He was truly puzzled by this genin's tactics. Using mind games against an opponent, smiling at them and unnerving them, was a high level chuunin tactic and here this genin was, using it against him, and it was _working._ The genjutsu in the beginning already threw the jounin off, then the constant smiles and riddles were slowly pushing him of the edge. Asuma shook it off and rolled his shoulders a bit, rotating his neck while he was at it. He exhaled and got into stance.

"Fine, I won't ask who you are, for now. I need to test you out so how about you show me a bit of chakra mastery and we can get this over with."

"Alright, Asuma-san."

Asuma flexed out his trench knives and went for a downward slash. Yoki dodged last minute, letting the blade fly past him. He made eye contact with Asuma and smiled again, before pulling out a chokuto out of nowhere, and throwing in his own slash. Asuma instantly jumped back, grabbing Yoki's wrist and pulling it with him. The chokuto went past Asuma's side and Yoki immediately lost balance. Yoki only frowned before letting the chokuto go and speeding through a set of hand seals.

Raiton: Kaminari Suzume

Asuma smirked and slashed the lightning bird with his trench knives. Yoki looked startled but went back to his usual calm demeanor. Yoki took notice to the wind chakra coating the trench knives.

"Dontcha know that Wind beats Lightning?" Asuma chuckled.

Yoki's eyes flicked up from the knives to Asuma's face.

"That's some affinity mastery, right there. It would be a shame if-"

Yoki pulled out a katana and pumped chakra through it, letting his own wind affinity incase the blade.

"-Someone were to have the same mastery." (an:/ eyyyyyy, lol)

Asuma's eyes widened and stepped back on impulse. Yoki took the opportunity and dashed forward with his katana. Asuma regained his bearings and blocked the blade with his own.  
"You may have the same affinity and mastery, but I have the muscle to support it, do you?" Asuma added extra force and pushed the Katana to the ground, letting the wind coated knives cut a bit of his arm. Yoki grimaced but pulled back with the katana, gaining distance between him and Asuma.

"No good, change in tactics, I guess..."

Naruto flicked his wrists and sent in new chakra to his katana. Asuma flinched as the blade grew red and then bursted to flames.

"Fire beats wind." Yoki muttered.

With that, Yoki charged forward lashing out a chain of attacks at Asuma. Asuma took his time to dodge each one before shouting out a Jutsu right after ducking under a horizontal slash.

Fuuton: Daitoppa!

The miniature version of the usual blast shot Yoki flew back across the arena. He tried to regain his bearings but winced when he breathed, feeling his broken ribs push against his bruising skin underneath his shirt.

"That hurts..." He wheezed out. Asuma go out of stance and called out.

"I call off this match. My decision is made."

Kakashi looked up from his book and snapped it closed before making his way to the center.

"Your decision, Sarutobi Asuma?"

"He passes. He shows excellent chakra manipulation and elemental affinity. His kenjutsu is sufficient. He would do well in the next round."

Kakashi nodded and turned to Yoki.

"Let's get you a medic, shall we?"

Yoki shot him a glare but almost doubled over in pain so he acquiescently nodded in agreement. Kakashi turned to Asuma.

"Take over proctor till Namikaze Naruto comes back out."

"Sure."

Kakashi escorted Yoki out to the medic rooms. When they were out of earshot from the arena, Kakashi chuckled.

"Didn't expect you to get hit by the last one, I swore you saw through it...now it's gonna leave its mark."

"Heh, the day the great Namikaze Naruto almost failed the chuunin exams. I was caught up in keeping my chakra balance in check. This whole henge is taking its toll, ya know? It's a solid henge, not some pansy illusion."

"Hmm, still. I think you could have dodge that..."

Yoki glared at him but winced again, causing him to clutch his sides in pain.

"Let's just get me patched up so I can alleviate the duty as proctor for Asuma."

"I believe that's several broken ribs, Naruto-kun..." Kakashi peered over his book.

Yoki shot him another dirty look before settling himself on a hospital bench. His hands began to glow green and Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed (an:/I guess eyebrow, sans "s" in his case...)

"When did you learn medical jutsu?"

"Rei gave me a few pointers. This is just first aid. Ever since I became jounin, I had to go in for classes at night to catch up on stuff I needed for chuunin and what not. I guess first aid is important in case a genin gets hurt."

"Well, you did advance pretty fast. Hokage's son has its perks, right?"

"Sadly, it's true. But I did earn my title through hard work! I'm strong enough. Besides, I've been helping out around the community like any other genin would, considering my time was cut short."

Kakashi tensed slightly but shook it off and snapped his book close.

"You ready?"

"Give me a minute, literally. Thank god the ribs didn't shatter to pieces or puncture something, or I'd be really deep in the-"

"Language."

"Oh, come on!"

"I'm sure the match has started now. What if you miss out on some of the fights?"

"There's not much- Oh, crap. The sunagakure nin!"

Yoki shot up and dispelled the henge, Naruto had a huge hole in his flak jacket where he got hit from the wind jutsu. The edges were torn to shreds and the skin revealed was dark purple.

"You're not going anywhere like that. It will arouse suspicion...why the hell do you have a whole in your jacket."

Naruto clicked his tongue and took out a scroll. He unsealed another jacket and took his old one off and sealed it in the same scroll.

"The kyuubi will take care of the rest. Let's go."

Naruto flashed away and Kakashi followed with a shunshin

* * *

Asuma was ticked off. Damn that Kakashi for blowing this job onto him! Asuma waited for the clean up crew to finish. There were only two matches left and people were restless. The injured from previous matches started to trickle back into the arena to watch the rest, albeit the ones that were legitimately hurt. He had to admit, some of these matches were pretty anticlimactic. The fight with his nephew and the Inuzuka was a bit pathetic but had good intentions behind it. The Haruno and the Yamanaka was also rather...sad. The battle of wills without much power behind it isn't really cut for a shinobi although the Haruno had lots of power, but it's not like she could use it against a past friend...friend being a loose term. The one on one arena battle didn't have much of an environment for a full blown strategy that Namikaze said the Haruno was good at. Shikamaru was able to pull it off, but his intelligence was far beyond his own comprehension of the boy and only Naruto was able to somewhat rival the Nara in intelligence. Though, the blond is a bit more motivated and has better aspects to cultivate in.

Asuma almost stumbled back when a yellow flash appeared in front of him. _Almost_. He flinched but adjusted his weight to stand up straight as he adjusted his head lower to see the short jounin. Kakashi soon followed with a whorl of leaves. Not as flashy but definitely safer in terms of the heart rate for those around him. The blond growled at him and shot him a glare.

"Dammit, Sarutobi. You broke my fucking ribs!"

"I didn't do anything to- Oh...Oh...HOLY SHI-"

Naruto shot his hand out to Asuma's mouth quickly and muffled the last part. When Asuma seemed to calm down, he drew his hand back and sighed. He turned to the arena just as the board started to spin.

"Sarutobi, Kakashi-sensei, I'll take it from here."

The two men nodded and shunshined away, leaving the blond at the center. The board landed on the next two names.

"Konohagakure's Aburame Shino and Sunagakure's Sabaku no Kankuro"

Naruto winced a little as he shifted his weight but only let his eye twitch at the pain. The two genin made it down and Kankuro leaned to his side and smirked, easily towering over the stoic bug user.

"Hey bugboy, make this fun, will ya?"

"I make no promises. Why? Because I'll make this short and quick."

"Such talk for a little bugger. Alright, show me what you've got."

Naruto let out an exasperated sigh, catching the attention of the two genin.

"Do we have to go through this every time? Stop talking already. Are you two ready? Actually, you know what, just go whenever you two are done talking." Naruto drawled.

As much as Naruto hated talking before matches, he made Aoba Yoki taunt the Jounin with one sentence, letting the rest of the taunts occur during the fight. Sure these genins were trying to rile each other up, but they weren't doing it _properly_. You're suppose to criticize their actions _after_ the fact, not before. He jumped away and let the two genins face off, taking his place back at the statue's base.

Everything was at a stand still for a moment before Shino shot his hands out, letting a swarm of bugs escape from him. The swarm shot out at Kankuro who rolled away and threw several kunai. The swarm caught the kunai midair and then formed into a wall, shielding Shino from the light barrage of kunai and shuriken attacks Kankuro launched. Kankuro pulled out several scrolls and rolled them out on the floor. Raising his hand out in a seal, he whispered.

Kugutsu no Jutsu

An explosion of cloud appeared around him, covering the arena. But it left as quickly as it appeared, revealing three puppets in front of Kankuro who held his hands out, fingers reaching out.

"Come on, bugboy. Let's get this show on, shall we?"

Kankuro lashed his hands out and the puppets went into motion, the sound of wood snapping together rang through the room. Shino's eyes widened as it was too late. A puppet appeared behind him and suddenly swallowed him into the body of the puppet.

Kurohigi Kiki Ippatsu

Kankuro pulled his index finger in and the limbs of the puppet shot out before rocketing back into the slots of the puppet, baring blades that gleamed with poison. Naruto wanted to act but remembered the rules of the chuunin exams. He couldn't interfere, even if it meant the death of a nin. Frankly, it was amazing how Naruto was able to interrupt the previous matches before things got out of hand. Though when he dropped of the Otogakure nin off at the hospital, his mother had the opportunity to talk to him before his match, mentioning how his leeway to interfere was growing too much. Naruto grimaced at the thought that people probably saw him as weak, giving too much heart to thought. Most jounin could care less about what's happening to the genin, regardless of origin. Naruto's hand clenched in his pocket. He kept his eyes on the field, watching as the limbs clacked at the contact of blade and puppet.

Kankuro smirked. The satisfying sound of blade meets flesh alerted him of his success. He let his hands down, the limbs inversely stuck into the puppet fell limp and his other puppets stopped moving. He turned around and walked towards the blond jounin. But, his movements were cut short when he suddenly heard buzzing sounds. He looked around to see his puppet surrounded by small bugs. The buzzing sounds grew louder as he stepped closer to his puppet. He flicked a finger, letting the chakra string open a few latches.

"Wrong move"

Kankuro went wide eyed but the voice was right, it was a wrong move indeed. The moment the latches opened, the opening flung open and a swarm of bugs flooded out, encasing Kankuro. The bugs soon disappeared, dispersed around the arena, and Kankuro was left in a stance that he hoped to protect him from the bugs. Kankuro lifted his head and looked around after noticing that there was no one in the puppet. His head flicked from side to side.

"It was a Mushi Bunshin, specially created out of my bugs."

Kankuro got lower in a stance._ Kuso, I don't know where he is._

"How did you change yourself with the bunshin?"

"The moment you summoned the puppets."

Kankuro realized the cloud caused by the summon covered Shino as well, probably giving the Aburame the chance to switch without anyone noticing. His head snapped back up when he saw Shino appear in front of him. The Aburame started to charge forward, flicking his wrist out with a kunai at hand. Shino engaged Kankuro in a match of taijutsu which didn't last long for the two long ranged fighters. Each side jumped away, holding their injury. Shino grabbed his upper arm where Kankuro had kicked him and Kankuro caved in from the hit Shino gave him on his stomach. Both boys were out of breath and somewhat close to chakra depletion.

Suddenly, Kankuro dropped to one knee.

"Wha-what did you do?"

Shino looked up to the puppeteer.

"My bugs have been absorbing your chakra since the beginning of the fight."

"Wha- but you only used your bugs till-"

"I implanted several bugs on you just as you were talking. But, it's too late-"

"You're right. It is too late. For you, that is" Kankuro smirked. He pulled his finger and a puppet appeared behind Shino again and whacked him across the head, successfully knocking him out. Kankuro panted a bit, watching Shino fall to the floor in a thud. Naruto sighed, grateful at the somewhat humane end for a match he couldn't really interfere with.

"Match. The winner is Sabaku no Kankuro. Medics!"

Naruto picked at his nails a bit as he waited for the medics to take away the two genin and the clean up crew to clear out the bugs. He waited for the last match to be called, glancing at the board several times before it started to roll. He glanced back up at his father who smiled. Naruto did another exaggerated sigh which left Minato silently chuckling. He looked back at the board and read the last two names of the day.

"Konohagakure's Rock Lee and Sunagakure's Sabaku no Gaara. Please come down."

* * *

an:/

well that was rather short...

quick question: is it blonde or blond? I'm so confused! Is it like french where the two depend on masculine or feminine subjects? The french is me is screaming that it's like that but this is english we're talking about here so...

**POLL**, I guess...  
Knowing that the results of Gaara and Lee's fight are going to be the same as the series, and the same results, do you want me to write out the fight in detail? Or do you want me to go straight on with the one month training period and the start of the finals?

I'm going to have to start speeding things up a bit considering you're probably bored with the lame fights I've been giving you and calling them "chapters". So, please do tell, and I'll try to get the next chapter in by Friday! (I have all my lunch periods free now that none of my friends have the same lunch period...I'm all alone in the computer lab typing this up for ya...

Alright, there's not many jutsus used in this chapter that haven't been used already or aren't in the original series. (DON'T WORRY, I HAVE THIS NEW JUTSU I'M CREATING FOR NARUTO...SOON :D)

See ya later!


	26. Chapter 26

an:/ Thank you guys for sticking around! Well, enough is enough, and I've decided, I've been way too immature for my own good. You are all right, my maturity as an author is close to zero. I've been extremely rude to my readers and replied to flame when it wasn't necessary. Many of you have reviewed and said so. And, I can't help but agree. I need to suck it up and ignore all the flame. This isn't some place to vent out my feelings and I apologize. I thank you all for staying with me regardless of my stupidity and impoliteness. I guess you could call it a phase and like all phases, they have ends. Today marks a new beginning! Well, I decided I'm going to go ahead and respond to everyone's review (I mean everyone's) Because I feel like I'm only responding to bad ones and I haven't given creds to those who really matter. Just some brief responses per.

Blair27: thank you for the info! I swear, my computer says one thing but the next day says the other...Sadly, Lee's outcome is the same so...timeskip it is I guess?

The Keeper of Worlds: You've reviewed a lot since, practically, the beginning! Thank you~!

Greenguy67: Sadly, Lee's arm and leg gets crushed. But do not despair! It's all part of the plan! ;)

Eryn Michaels: Frankly speaking, the fights got a bit boring for me to write, so I kinda sped it up. Besides, I felt you readers probably wanted something more interesting. Hopefully the upcoming fights will appear better. I looked back at my first chapter, and I have to say, the difference is definitely noticeable. Thanks for reading!

SakuraFairy1990: Ahh, unfortunately, lots of people want me to just skip on with the show...but I hope you continue to read the story regardless of the lack of Gaara vs. Lee.

Roselie0601: Skip it is, thanks for reviewing!

Anon(Guest): Get an account of Fanfiction! Hahaha, thanks for reading!

Zatheko: I most certainly agree. This story needs to progress and frankly the fights take forever...Skip it is! You have also stuck around with this story for a long time, so I thank you!

Killijimaru: Ryoukai! (Roger) lol

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: I'm glad someone agrees with me! Haha, thanks for favoriting and following my story!

Battle Neurosis: Skip it is! So many people want a time skip!

rocker101 (Guest): Lol, thanks for reading (my rants too, haha)!

Showtime09: You got it! One time skip comin' up

Darth Renada: I'm glad you stuck through! I have to admit, I looked back at my first couple of chapters and I have to say, blehhhh. I would try to rewrite it but I'm afraid I might screw something up. I'll dedicate my upcoming jutsu to you! Thanks again!

Guest: Ah yes, me and my responses to flamed reviews. I'm not particularly the sharpest tool in the shed, am I? Falling for the same tricks. I think my sister gave me the same tip (which I stupidly ignored) but I guess I'll try following it now, hehehe. Thanks for reading my story (and get a fanfiction account!)!

demonic hellfire: Hmm alright!

Guest: Thank you!

Fan Fan 92555: You're right. My grammar sucks. I'll try to improve it just for you. As for the spoilers, I'm sorry. As for ppsh...eh...no sympathy. By the way, I recommend spell check or something, because a few of your words are misspelled, dictionaries can be accessed for free online at . Also your sentences are a bit off, nothing a book on grammar can't fix! Thanks for the review!

anon(guest)- Lol, no I haven't stopped updating! I'm just a bit slow. I have SATs to study for, ACTs, and I have to maintain my school grades while I'm at it so I'm just a tad bit busy...oh the horrors of high school XD

FallOuT BeaR- You are absolutely correct. I haven't been really mature as a writer and I'm most certainly wrong. I have been responding to flames when I shouldn't have and that just makes me plain stupid A. Either way, thanks for reading my story! And hopefully in my future chapters, I will display the maturity needed for this kind of story.

I- Odd name, btw, I almost missed it haha, alright. I have to admit, Naruto has a pretty sped up life (I even included this realization in this chapter! haha you read my mind) But I have a feeling that this story is going to drag out for too long, already at 25 chapters. I feel like the daunting number will scare some readers that don't have much time. But you are right, I need to slow down. So I'm flooring the breaks...to a certain degree.

shadowmaster0304- Well, that caps off the poll, alright, time skip here we go!

* * *

Naruto yawned a bit as he walked down the main road of Konoha. The streets were bustling as usual, preparing for the upcoming finals in the chuunin exam. It was one month away but people were already busy cleaning up. They want to make sure that when the Kages and Daimyos show up, Konohagakure no Sato would look strong and healthy.

Minato has been recently out of the village for meetings with the other Kages, making Nara Shikaku the makeshift Hokage for a week or so. Kushina was out on missions more frequently as well. Believe it or not, the redhead was an ANBU operative and right now the ANBU were also bustling about. Of course, in the shadows, otherwise that would defeat the purpose of being ANBU. Naruto sighed and looked at a shop window, before suddenly jumping and flashing away, screaming, "I'M LATE!", successfully catching the attention of several villagers for a second before they went back to their normal lives, unaffected by the crazed jounin.

* * *

"You're late, again!" Sakura chided. Naruto looked sheepishly only to start a glaring contest with Konohamaru right after.

"Saru..."

"Naru-shit"

"I'll have Reno dead by next morning for sharing that information. Meanwhile..." Naruto whacked Konohamaru across the head.

Sasuke only looked away and sighed, mentally wondering how he got on a team with idiots. The genins looked back at their jounin instructor when Naruto cleared his throat.

"As you know, the finals for the exams are exactly one month away. Two of you have advanced and I congratulate you. Sakura, do not feel down, there's always a second time. And personally, I think these two dunces got a lucky shot."

A chorus of indignant "hey!"s were heard but ignored.

"Konohamaru and Sasuke, you will need to start training against your predetermined matches. Sasuke, the Hyuugas are not to be dealt with lightly. Clearly that Neji character has a year of experience on you and a whole attitude problem. Konohamaru, you have the pleasure...of fighting me."

"Don't remind me, asshole. Why do I get stuck with a jounin?"

"Look, Konohamaru. This is really important. And I know you're not very chipper on purposefully losing, but I'd like to remind you, this whole finals thing is all for show. You are there to impress, not to pass. If you show you have what it takes to be a chuunin, it doesn't matter if you win or lose. And hey, maybe as the son of the Hokage, I can get in a good rec for you...maybe."

"Really, Naruto-nii?"

"Maybe. Anyways, during this month, you will be under my direct tutelage, a one on one, if not two on one training experience. I can have a friend of mine help us."

"What about me..." Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke. Well, you have two choices. Train with your clan. Get your dad to teach you some clan secrets and make this whole stupid fight about two top notch clans fighting each other with worn out traditions. Or, I get you some one on one with Hatake Kakashi, who will train you in a more versatile use of the sharingan including other jutsus. It's your choice, really."

"Hn."

"And Sakura..."

Sakura's head snapped up at the mention of her name. Naruto smiled at her.

"You'll be taking an internship at the hospital, learning from Rei, Rin, and perhaps maybe even Tsunade. We need a medic nin on our team and you make the perfect fit. With near perfect chakra control, you'll take it like fish to water. I'll come over once in awhile to check up on your progress but this will be solely up to you"

"H-hai."

"Alright, everyone dismissed. Tomorrow, I'll have your report your choice and you will start to train immediately. See you all tomorrow, then." Naruto gave a brief wave before flashing away.

* * *

Naruto was bored out of his mind. That quite all there was really. Minato was apparently cruel enough to set him up for head missions desk officer. Talk about being a top notch torturer. He let a sigh and signed off another mission to a genin team, returning his arm to its original position, propping his head up..

"D ranked: Help Ms. Sayuri with grocery shopping. Dismissed." He drawled, hand pressed to cheek.

"What! Can't we get some sorta C-rank?"

Naruto shot a glare at the genin and scoffed. He pulled out the C rank missions and took a glance before looking back up.

"Ask your jounin instructor. Though frankly, you're just a green genin, and some of these seem pretty tough."

The jounin scolded the genin and said no so Naruto put the scroll away and motioned the jounin instructor to come over. Naruto handed the scroll over to the jounin Sensei and watched the next team file out. He let out another sigh and shrunk into his seat. All he gets to do is assign missions to genin teams with missions below C rank, all the boring missions. The rest, B through S ranked, were taken by Nara for chuunin, ANBU, an jounin. He looked at the list of missions under D rank and assigned another mundane mission to the genin team in front of him. The worst part is, some of these missions could be done in twenty minutes but a majority of the teams come back after several hours. The inefficiency was ridiculous. Shopping, babysitting (okay, maybe not that one), gardening, cleaning, messengers, all these boring missions could be done instantly if they knew what they were doing.

Another team came in and the jounin requested a C rank.

"C rank: escort Okina Kanami to the Land of Trees. You have three weeks." He slurred out and passed the scroll over to the jounin. He looked at his watch and decided his shift was over, finally. It was 2:30 and it was time to toss the job over to the next unfortunate jounin.

"Naruto. It's a surprise to see you here."

"Hmm?" Naruto turned his head to the side entrance and saw his academy teacher, Umino Iruka. He straightened up and grinned back.

"Yo, Iruka-sensei! What brings you here?"

"Haha, bright and energetic as usual (an:/ insert sarcasm), Naruto. I was hoping for a couple D ranks to take my students out for awhile, you know, get the feel of being a ninja. They are tired of getting E ranks. You got any?"

"Gee, you seem pretty enthusiastic for an ANBU taking D ranks."

"Whoa, since when-"

"Since always...anyways, I have a couple missions for ya, in fact. Hmm, does gardening sound good to you? I also have one from a Hiyashi, urg, him again (1). Anyways, a field needs to be cleared and cultivated. Are your students up for it?"

"Hmm, sure."

"Actually, I'm off shift, so I'll tag along...I guess."

"That's great, I could use an extra hand. Ever since that Mizuki incident-"

"I heard. It's a tragedy but it had to be done. Traitors will not be tolerated. But I kinda wish I was there, ya know, beat some sense into him?"

"Ha, good thing the other ANBU were there, I would hate to blow my cover. Anyways, let's go"

Naruto smirked and got out of the chair. He stretched a bit and walked over to Iruka, who was waiting at the door.

"Are we walking?"

"Yeah, I don't see how else-"

Naruto grabbed Iruka's sleeve and flashed away.

* * *

The classroom was noisy, filled with children talking among themselves. Just as Naruto appeared at the front of the room, Iruka stumbled a bit with the landing. He rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath.(2)

"N-naruto, never again..."

"hai, hai..." Naruto waved it off.

Iruka straightened himself out and tapped the podium with a stick.

"Class...please...quiet down."

The students continued to talk. Naruto smirked and pulled out several smoke bombs. Iruka caught sight of Naruto's movement and was about to stop the blonde from- too late. Naruto threw the specialized smoke bombs towards the class and stepped back just as they exploded, unleashing neon colored powder everywhere, causing students to scream. As the colorful cloud settled down they dusted their clothes off and looked toward the front where the smoke bombs came from. There stood Naruto, laughing hysterically and pointing at the audience.

"Aw man, you should- you should have seen your faces!"

Iruka resisted punching the boy.

"Now that I have everyone's attention. We are going on a mission together as a field trip. Please wait as I get everything organized"

A few murmurs were heard.

_"Yo, the blonde..."_

_"It's Namikaze, ain't it?"_

_"__**The**__ Namikaze?"_

_"Yeah! My dad called him a prodigy..."_

_"Yeah, the Inari something, pretty cool title. I heard he's famous!"_

_"Shinobi no Inari. He's only a year older than us and a jounin"_

_"Cool..."_

Naruto glanced at Iruka who was checking his board. Naruto looked around the classroom, remembering his short presence in this very room. Naruto couldn't help but reminisce about his lack of school experience. He couldn't help but think about how sped up his life has gone. It felt like it was just yesterday he graduated academy and became genin. Now he was walking around as a jounin instructor for people his age. Somehow, he felt old. He slumped his shoulders a bit before looking back at the door where Iruka was calling the students out.

"Naruto, are you coming?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll be there Iruka-Sensei."

Iruka nodded and followed the last student out. Naruto gave a cursory glance at the now empty room and smiled a bit before leaving.

* * *

"Alright class, today is going to be our first mission! Thanks to Naruto-sempai, here, we get a D rank mission instead of an E rank. No more paperwork!"(3)

A chorus of cheers followed and quieted down when Iruka raised his hand for silence.

"Being our first out-on-the-field mission, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior. Our mission today is to clear out a field. Naruto, have any tips you'd like to give?"

"I personally have done the same exact mission a few years back. Try to do things efficiently so you don't waste time."

Another chorus of affirmation was heard so Iruka dismissed them then stood by Naruto.

"You had an easier way to do this didn't you, Naruto?"

"We flattened it out with a joint Jutsu between Kakashi and I. Then we planted everything by hand. I swear this man purposefully destroys his field for us after his crops are done."

"Heh, well that can be taken as luck or misfortune, right? Good training for the academy students."

"Sure" Naruto waved it off.

"..."

"Should we help them?"

"Probably" Iruka sweat dropped with Naruto as they watched the academy students run amok with hoes and shovels, destroying the ground rather than plowing it.

* * *

Naruto plopped on the couch, listening to the ticking sound of the clock. No one was home and he was exhausted. Naruto chewed his fingernail as he thought about the fight between the Suna nin and Lee.

The green spandex clad boy had shown signs of promise, definitely chuunin material if you saw past the "youth" and "springtime". It was a shame that his arm and leg were deemed useless afterward. Naruto could practically see the heartbreak in Maito Gai (Might Guy for all you dubbers). The medics said there was nothing they could do but a quick call to Tsunade (4) and Naruto was sure Lee will be fixed in no time.

The real problem was the red head. His dubbed "ultimate defense" was pretty ultimate but clearly Lee displayed the not-so-out-there-yet-blatant weakness. Speed. And speed, Naruto had. Naruto let out a sigh and slumped up. The match ups for the final exams were premade. Konohamaru against him, Sasuke against the Hyuuga, Nara Shikamaru versus Sabaku no Temari, and Sabaku no Gaara versus Sabaku no Kankuro. Naruto frowned at the brotherly match but shook it off as he trudged off to sleep.

* * *

Minato walked out of the conference room, followed by his two ANBU guards. He briskly walked through the empty halls till he reached the exit. He looked around the mountain ranges, taking in the sight of Kumogakure no Sato. His meeting with the Fourth Raikage was, in no other words to describe it, awkward. The treaty of the Third Shinobi war clearly did not seem as stable as it should be after 14 years. And after seeing the Raikage a second time, the first being on the battlefield, Minato could tell that the battlefront tension was still there. Luckily the discussion was on the chuunin exams and not some political peace treaty or anything. Minato let out a sigh and walked down the streets. He dismissed his ANBU with a quick wave and entered a small stand at the side of the road. He sat down next to a large man with long shaggy black hair.

"Sensei, changing hair colors doesn't really help, ya know"

"Yeah, well it was effective before my student just blurted it out. Thanks, gaki."

"Anytime. Well, I spotted your chakra flare, and so I dropped by. What's up."

"They're on the move." Jiraiya clipped.

Minato's gaze hardened. He briefly accepted a bowl of ramen that came his way before looking in front of him, expression never changing.

"How long do we have?"

"A year at most, without any protection. Three years if you let him come with me."

"I really don't have a choice, do I? Any other information?"

"His jounin status won't count for shit. These are all S-ranked Nukenin that come in pairs. It would be suicidal to go up against one of them, let alone two."

"Leader?"

"The Rinnegan"

Minato's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape.

"You mean-"

"The very. But I suspect he isn't the real leader."

"There's one behind the scenes?"

"It's _him_."

Minato clenched his fists besides his bowl that remained untouched. His eyes narrowed in front of him as he clenched his teeth.

"Where-"

"No one knows. Their base changes every so often, and they never come back. They are after them, and they're picking them off one by one. It doesn't even have to go in order. The fourth is already gone."

"...This is troublesome."

Jiraiya paused before chuckling a bit.

"I swear, at least one of your parents was a Nara."

Minato's expression softened as he let out a forced chuckle.

"Kinda makes sense. For my intellect, and what not."

"Intellect? What intellect?" Jiraiya scoffed.

Minato sent a mock glare but smiled a moment later. He slowly got up and patted his robes down.

"Well, I best be going. I don't think Kumo is happy with one of their arch nemesis in their borders. Though they aren't as hostile as Iwa..."

"You and Iwa are like...oil and water...oil on fire and water..." Jiraiya chuckled.

"Haha. Well, see you later, Jiraiya-sensei"

"Later, gaki."

Minato left the tent and the ANBU guards were next to him in an instant. Minato walked away, followed by a long shaggy red haired man a few moments later.

* * *

Naruto looked over to the three students in front of him. Konohamaru lazily kicked the dirty in front of him while Sasuke stood in attention, hands in his pockets. Sakura fidgeted a bit, rocking back and forth on her heels as the silence permeated around the training grounds. Naruto scratched his neck nonchalantly before looking at his students.

"So, you're decision?"

"I, Sarutobi Konohamaru, accept your apprenticeship! The next Hokage takes every opportunity-"

"I meant Sasuke, Saru. I would have dragged you with me even if you declined. Sasuke, what's your decision?"

"I would like to train with Hatake Kakashi."

Naruto smirked and nodded. Konohamaru huffed.

"Good, good. I thought I would have to fight your father over you. Well now that's that. Saru, the guy that will help me train you will be back in a week. For now, put these on."

Naruto chucked over a sack, that, unfortunately, Konohamaru caught. Konohamaru underestimated the weight and fell to the floor with the sack's weight.

"What the hell are in these!"

"Training weights."

Realization dawned on the Sarutobi's face. Naruto turned to Sakura.

"You're training starts tomorrow at 8am. Meet Rei at the hospital entrance. She's not as lenient on time as I am, but I don't think I have to worry about you on that. Today, she said to buy these at the supply shop-"

Naruto handed a small scroll to Sakura, who took it tentatively.

"-As your sensei, I need to supply you with the materials, but I have to train Konohamaru myself. I'll send a clone with you to go shopping."

A second Naruto poofed into existence, taking it's place next to Sakura.

"I'll check up on you two days from now. Sasuke, Kakashi is on a mission right now, so stay seated for a little longer. I need to check out that little hickey of yours, as well."(5)

Sasuke flushed at the name of his seal and quickly covered it with his hand.

"It's not a hickey!" He hissed indignantly.

"Whatever." Naruto shrugged. Then he walked over to Sasuke.

"The two of you, dismissed. Sakura, follow my clone. Konohamaru, I expect those weights on you by tomorrow."

The two genin nodded and walked away. Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Now, let's take this over to the room of sealing in the Hokage's tower."

Sasuke nodded and followed Naruto to the village.

-  
(1) if you remember him from my previous chapters...kudos to you, have my cyber cookie :)  
(2) I presume that if you're not used to the adverse affects of using a time space Jutsu, you'll feel queasy or something. Just outta my imagination.  
(3) do they have E ranks? Well they do now. It's basically just paperwork from different departments. Most of it's just forms that don't have confidential information.  
(4) you're probably thinking, "isn't Tsunade in the village?" Well, yes and no. She's off gambling for the most part but she likes to stop by once in awhile to see the Namikazes (considering she's a family friend)  
(5) It wasn't taken care of during the chuunin exams, just neutralized.

Sorry it's a bit short and late. I had a very busy weekend, it's ridiculous. This chapter was just on the transition between who's gonna train who.

I don't know about you guys, but Samidare is one of my favorite OST's ever. It's got this sort of ambiance to it that just seems so peaceful and it kinda reminds me of ancient japan. I don't know but it's just awesome. Anyways, I just played it on repeat the whole time I wrote this, along with the ost Storm, Rainy day, I'm Home, No home, my home, just all of the Road to Ninja ost (because it's freaking awesome) I can't wait for the movie in april!

POLL!

Should Sasuke learn the chidori?

Yes or No answers are okay but if you want to specify when or how, do tell.

Alright, See ya!


	27. Chapter 27

an:/ ahh the joys of getting reviews. Don't get me wrong, I'm not pleading for reviews or anything, but having to respond to all these reviews kinda make me feel, what's the word, connected(?) to my readers? It's like having a conversation. Anyways, due to popular demand, I know what Sasuke needs to learn...As for responses to your reviews...I don't want to reveal anything just yet...I wouldn't want to unintentionally give out spoilers. :| bleh. Some of your reviews are hilarious (Killijimaru and your random review: lol whut?)(Fan Fan 92555: cold as usual, I see, lol) I'll give shout outs to reviews at random moments I guess and I'm glad you guys like that kinda thing (You're welcome, Showtime09 ;D). Normally I'd just give pm or something, but hey, isn't it cooler to have your pen name on a chapter? I think it is. Well, I guess the other reviews are just poll answers and what not.

SilentBunshin: thank you for your support. I kinda get the whole flame vs CC...i think. I just don't think I'll respond to reviews that I find borderline :P Ha, me and my weird solutions to everything. I don't know if this response made sense TT-TT

Doomslayer10000: Arigato gozaimasu! It's great to see people like my story w

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Thanky!

Darth Renada: Haha, you had me laughing on the floor at "annoying button masher". Ah yes, Sasuke and his overuse of Chidori. Hell, It seems based on the reviews that a lot of people kinda want him to be one. The rivalry isn't quite there I guess. I never really took time to develop it and considering how far in we are, the level Naruto is at compared to sasuke, the tamed version of Sasuke, is the rivalry really necessary? Hmm perhaps. teehee.

Roselie0601: I agree with you...RasenganChidori XD Two against one!

Alright, enough responses. Typing up all your names are complicated enough (gotta keep looking back and forth at reviews to check spelling of your names .). To the story! (Kinda short chapter)

* * *

Naruto knelt behind Sasuke with a paintbrush at hand and a plate of ink in the other. Sasuke was seated in the middle of an intricate sealing circle. His back was covered in markings, all centered towards the cursed seal on Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto dabbed the paintbrush a few times before leaning back to inspect his work.

"Well sasuke, I looked into this lovely piece of shit, and I have to say, this Sannin has put some real ingenuity into this seal. Too bad, the ingenuity doesn't belong to him."

"What do you mean?"

"He put sage chakra into it. And sage chakra, while it's a bit new to the fuuinjutsu world, was not created by him, rather by Jiraiya, his ex-teammate."

"So what does that mean for me?"

"Well, I have something to counter the sage chakra, even if I'm not really a sage." _The fox's chakra will have to do_, Naruto thought.

"What- what are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to get real detailed and whatnot, but basically, I'm going to neutralize this seal with my own. It's going to hurt like crazy, even worse than the neutralizing one before the preliminaries."

"Am I going to start foaming at the mouth?"

"Well...maybe, depends on how resistant you are."

"Resistant to what, exactly?"

"His power."

* * *

Sakura shot a few glances at the clone next to her. It was slightly unnerving, watching her sensei practically ignore her. _Well, I haven't really asked any questions...but shouldn't guys start the conversation?_Sakura flinched when she heard Naruto's voice.

"What?" The clone drawled, still looking forward.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been staring..."

Sakura flushed and looked back front.

"N-No I wasn't..."

"Whatever you say, Sakura. Here's the next shop."

Naruto pulled at her arm and veered off to the right, into a medical shop. If Sakura could turn any more red, she would have done so as she looked at the hand that grasped her arm.

* * *

Minato took a few glances to the right and left, sprinting off the branches. He was in Hi no Kuni but that didn't mean he wasn't on guard. A Hokage out of his own village was a bit dangerous and he only had two ANBU guards. He caught a noise and abruptly stopped. He held his hands out and the ANBU stopped beside him, blades ready.

"Hokage-sama, what-"

Minato motioned a silence and shifted out of stance when two ANBU walked in front of them. One advanced forward and stretched his hand out to Minato.

"Yondaime Hokage-sama, we are here to escort you back-"

"Attack!" Minato ordered. The two ANBU behind him pounced forward and struck the first ANBU down. The second ANBU operative stepped back, only to be captured by the two real ANBU from behind.

"Wha-how did you-"

"ANBU kneel before the Hokage when addressing him. And ANBU only address me as Hokage-sama. You're blatant lack of respect and discipline show you're not really ANBU. Impersonation of an ANBU is treason and is dealt with immediate death regardless of origin. Now, who hired you."

"Haha, wouldn't you like to know. I'll tell ya what, though, he's gonna kill you in the most gruesome way possible...in front of everyone. Hehahaha-The Daimyos, the kages, the village, your subordinates, your friends, your famil-"

The man was cut short when the first ANBU slit his throat in a swift motion, her long red hair swayed a bit with the motion. She let the body drop and she cleaned her blade.

"Hokage-sama, he smelt of snakes." The second one reported, his spiked silver hair was ruffled a bit by the breeze.

"I know..." Minato hissed.

* * *

(NEXT DAY possibly the shortest time skip you'll see in this story...ahahahaha)

Naruto stretched his arms as he made his way to the Hokage's tower. His stretch was cut short when he noticed how busy the tower was. People were running about, stacks of paper entering and reentering the Hokage's office. His father's orders were heard clearly from down the hall.

"I need every information on this incident! Most of it should be in the Archives. I also want the budget plan for the academy education. No, not that one, the other one. I also want the head medic to report the situation in the hospital. Get me the head of the academy! These numbers are all wrong!-"

Naruto sweatdropped as the string of orders continued to grow. He tentatively stepped towards the room and reached for the knob to open the door. A secretary bursted through the door, startling the blonde teen. He peered inside to see three clones of Minato working everywhere, papers strewn across the floor, maps and other information stuck to the wall.

"T-Tou-san? You alright?"

"Hmm-what?" The Minato at the Hokage's desk glanced up a bit before looking back at his papers.

"What is it, Naruto?" His tone was sort of fatherly yet demanding_. He's in Hokage mode._

"I didn't know you came back. Do you need help?"

"Yeah, came back an hour ago. You're mom too. Actually, I could use some help- get me Rin over here. I need her to fill me in on something. Also, go to the hotspring to see if the Sensei is there. After that, drop by the Academy to check up on this new orphan that enrolled recently. Drop by later, I need to check that seal out on your stomach. How's the seal with Sasuke, by the way?"

"It's good. I just had to-"

"That's great, I'll maybe look at it a bit later. For now, I'm busy. Come by later if you need anything else." Minato continued to sift through paper, stamping the Hokage's seal every so often.

Naruto laughed nervously before shunshining out of the office, not wanting to disrupt the papers with a hiraishin.

* * *

Naruto trudged forward, back hunched, sweat rolling down his forehead. The list of things his father wanted him to do was finally finished. He felt a familiar chakra signature approach so he straighten up and looked to his right just in time to see Kakashi shunshin next to him.

"So you're back, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hmm, yeah. I heard you needed me?"

"Ah yes, could you teach Sasuke?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Thanks for including my opinion, but sure."

"Teach him mainly about the Sharingan but it would help if you taught him a raiton jutsu. The kaminari suzume won't do anything against the Hyuuga's defense jutsu."

"Yeah, will do. Have you seen your father lately?-"

"Yeah, the whole Hokage-mode. You know why?"

"Yeah, we sort of got Ambushed by two ANBU impersonators. They were from Orochimaru, so Minato-sensei is trying to get some work done so he could start preparing for Orochimaru. He's up to something and Minato does not like it. By the way, Jiraiya is coming back later tonight."

"Thanks for telling me now, after I waited two hours at the hot springs for a white haired pervert."

"No problem. See ya tomorrow!" Kakashi poofed away, leaving Naruto in the middle of the streets again. He trudged along the dirt road towards the training grounds.

"I regret waking up so early" Naruto grumbled as he made his way to training ground 7. He saw a figure up ahead that started to yell.

"NARU-SHIT! YOU'RE LATE BY TWO HOURS!"

Naruto growled as he flashed over.

"Shut it, Saru. I had to run some errands for my dad. He's in full blown Hokage mode. There's no stopping him..." Naruto barely hid his shiver. Konohamaru felt his vein pop.

"I could care less what your father does! I'm already two hours late into training! I bet Sasuke has already learned some cool technique!"

Naruto sighed, letting his tense muscles relax a bit.

"I see you've taken the training weight seriously?"

"It hurts like hell! It better have some use, kore!" (an:/ adding his tick?)

"It will, though not much against me, increase your speed and agility. Now go climb some trees with those weights on, after 50 repetitions, start on water and just do some backflips."

"What!"

"Hey, you're luck that I'm training you in the first place. I'm practically training you to be able to fight me! Does that sound right? No. So, shut it!"

Konohamaru grumbled and left for the trees. Naruto created a clone and left the clone to supervise Konohamaru while he left to another training ground.

"Yo, Namikaze!"

Naruto turned to the new voice to find a purple haired tokubetsu jounin.

"Ah, Mitarashi-san. Is there something you need?" He smiled oh-so-sweetly.

"Cut it out, brat..." she growled.

"Fine, fine. What do you want?"

"I just need to make sure you know about the rumors going on around the jounins and ANBU...ya know, about the snake?" She whispered.

Naruto's gaze hardened.

"They are true. I saw him, and fought him."

Anko bit her lip and clenched her fists.

"How dare he...how_ dare_he show his face!" She hissed as her eyes narrowed

"Anko...We'll get him this time...don't worry about it..."

Anko clicked her tongue and turned heels.

"Whatever." She walked away.

Naruto made his way back to the training grounds he was going to and started on his jutsus.

* * *

"Minato...calm down..."

"I can't. There is so much to do in so little time. Think about it! That _sannin_ is coming _here,_ to lead an_ attack_, _during_ the_ chuunin_ exams! Where the Daimyos and Kages are_ all_ present! How can I be calm! Have I also mentioned, there's an _S ranked_criminal organization after Naruto!? It's nerve wrecking!" Minato rubbed his temples.

Kushina looked at Minato and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Look, you have a month. You've been at this since the crack of dawn. If you keep at it for the next thirty days, you'll crack and Orochimaru will have a better chance at beating you."

"I- I know..." Minato looked away. "It's just that...I can't let them- the kyuubi- I just-"

"It's fine, 've completed a week's worth of paperwork in a matter of six hours. Talk about record time for the yellow flash -ttebane" Kushina smiled.

Minato couldn't help but return the gesture and got up.

"You're right, I shouldn't coop myself up in the office-"

He snagged his robe off the coat hanger and headed towards the door.

"-I should train!"

Kushina face palmed herself and grabbed the collar of Minato's coat, stopping him in his tracks abruptly.

"You're not going anywhere! That is clearly_ not_what I meant!"

"Kushina~!" Minato whined. Kushina glared at Minato who shrunk back.

"Alright, alright. I'll go home..." Kushina smiled in success and let go of Minato's collar.

"...after I train." Minato smirked and flashed away. Kushina was gobsmacked and felt a boiling hot anger grow inside her.

"you...little...shit-" she growled, her frame shaking in anger

"-NAMIKAZE MINATO! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!" rang through the entire village.

Minato smiled nervously, letting the sweat roll down his face as he jumped from the roofs of Konoha.

"Looks like I'm delegated to the couch tonight...again." Minato sighed as he made his way to the Nara forest to train.

* * *

Naruto walked over to where Konohamaru was training, only to see the boy fall from the tree, landing on the floor with a painful thud.

"Ow!" The boy howled.

Naruto resisted the urge to facepalm himself.

"I can see you're training isn't going so well...I came here the moment you whacked my clone out of existence. It was suppose to help you, ya know. You don't hit things out of frustration."

Konohamaru looked up to his sensei and gave a meek smile.

"Sorry, sensei. I couldn't resist..."

"Get up, I'll help you. Hopefully, this time, I can dodge your punch."

Konohamaru laughed weakly.

"How much time do I have again?"

"Three weeks or so. Don't worry. The whole training regimen is set in stone. We'll get you to the level you need to maintain some sort of fight with the son of the yellow flash."

"Naru-shit"

"Shut it, Monkey"

* * *

An:/ I know...very short training time. But I'd rather not indulge you too much on the training period...that's boring. :P Besides. I like me some nice surprises...don't you too? Har Har har... I would have updated sooner...if it wasn't for tumblr. Blame tumblr and it's vast amount of awesome pictures! Alright...Er...fights are predetermined. I know this is probably the shortest chapter or something but it's just a transition anyways. At least it's not some authors note saying I'm never gonna update this chapter ever again...not that I would do that to you guys...ever. Though this raises the question:

POLL-kinda...  
Should I split this story into two? Have the time skip (where the real Narusaku begins) as a Sequel to this one? Because 27+ chapters is quite a lot to digest. And I don't want to take this up till the 70+...that's just frightening...so uh...what do you think? Split or no split?  
Leave your answers in the reviews or PM me!

Matta ne!


	28. Chapter 28

an:/I'm backk, as in, I'm getting my groove back on with the almost uber fast updates. Still not the same agile author as before, but its hard to after a little rough patch during the december-january period of my junior life. (Damn calculus and physics) Well, now I have quite a lot of time since I switched down levels. My homework load is ten times lighter, I have 45 minutes of free time for lunch, and my afternoons are slowly getting out of its chains of constant studying. Talk about having a midlife crisis at 16, looks like I'm only gonna live till 30 at this rate. Jk jk, all of you are probably like "STFU, Life only gets harder from then on, so suck it up, and quit complaining like the annoying teenager you are" Lol I laugh but whatever. It seems I have enough energy to complain. Now, enough about my life, let's get on with the review responses (Have I mentioned I love you sexy beast readers? You guys are the best 3)

Damon Furey: Oh man, you da bestttt. Thanks for favoriting and following me and my story. You are probably one of the nicest readers ever~! Please keep reading!

Darth Renada: Yeah, the whole burn out till 70 is understandable. I'd hate to do that to all my readers . that would just be cruel. I think I gotta split the story...

avengeme: Haha yes, Minato somehow survives the wrath of Uzumaki Kushina but is afraid of a little snake. (I can practically imagine Kushina single handedly strangling the damn snake XD )

Red-Hot Habanero: Love the pen name, btw. Wow, thanks for the dedicated reading! 27 chaps in 3 days...impressive indeed. I, personally, am a slow reader and I haven't bothered to read my own story from beginning to end in a while -.-" Lol, keep on reading!

yeayesyeah: You're an odd one, aren't you. But yes, Disregard the females and acquire currency.. for what? I have no clue.

narusaku189:Tis what I was going to do. This part, I guess, is just kinda like the prologue to the Narusaku that comes in when they are 15-16 (wow, my age! I guess I can relate and include some of my lack of love experience in it :D *insert sarcasm here lol) But yes. Probably have all the lovin' in the second part

The Keeper of Worlds: I hear college is difficult so I don't blame ya. Studies first, then my story! Hahaha. Thanks for supporting me from quite early on. Glad to have you back!

btw: Thanks for the poll answers! I have come to my decision...but for now! Story!

One month time skip? One month time skip.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today! I present to you the Annual Chuunin Exams!" The Announcer cheered through the microphone.

The crowd roared, filling the stadium with cheers for the upcoming participants. The stands were high above the circular open aired arena. At the highest tower, there were two levels of spectator stands. The highest one was filled with the Kages, and below was for the Daimyos. Naruto looked up at the cheering crowd as he stood next to his three participating genin.

"I'm glad I went to pick you up, Sasuke. No thanks to Kakashi, if you were late, they would have disqualified you."

"Che- I wasn't finished." Sasuke muttered. Naruto chuckled.

"You'll have mental time to think it over. Konohamaru. You know the drill. Give a good fight, but leave the rest to me."

"Ryokai, Boss!" Konohamaru mock saluted. Naruto turned to Yoki and smirked.

"I take it that you know what to do, Aoba Yoki?"

"Yes." Yoki promptly nodded and turned away to the participant box to take a seat along with the others. Asuma walked up from behind. Naruto turned towards him.

"It's kind of weird seeing you order yourself around."

"Oh shut up..." Naruto mumbled.

"What happened to respect for seniors?" Asuma joked. He let out a sigh, letting smoke escape from his mouth right into Naruto's face.

A vein popped on Naruto's forehead as he briskly swatted the smoke away from his face.

"Refrain from smoking in my face, Sarutobi"

"Ah, gomen, gomen." Asuma rubbed the back of his head. "I'll be taking my leave now, Namikaze." Asuma turned heels and left to join the other jounin. Naruto looked straight at the Kage's box, his eyes narrowed. His eye made contact with the Kazekage, causing an unreal chill go down his spine. _What was that_? Naruto's eyes widened a bit before he flashed away.

* * *

Minato felt the chakra flicker and turned to his right to see his son flash in front of him.

"Namikaze Naruto..."

"A word, Hokage-sama."

"Uh, right away." Minato looked to the Kage's next to him and excused himself. Minato followed his son over to the halls outside the box.

"Wha-"

"It's him. He's here. Or rather. He's in there"

Minato's eyes flashed with realization.

"Which-"

"The w...way with which the wind blows. A bug has followed the breeze." _Someone is listening in_. Naruto's eyes darted to the sides. Minato's eyes followed suit. He understood his son's message and quickly nodded.

"I see." Minato looked back at the door to the stand.

"Do you think the-"

"The breeze most likely died out."_ He's dead._

Minato looked towards the floor thoughtfully. His head snapped up.

"Understood. Handle this under the leaves." _Can't do it out in the open, take action when necessary._

"I'll send an ANBU for you."_ I'll be your guard._

"I'd rather not-"

"No choice. What's done is done." Naruto bowed before walking past a wall, hitting it several times. Suddenly a body materialized and slumped to the ground. Several ANBU jumped down to apprehend the spy.

"Code just in case I couldn't make get him." Naruto turned to Minato and smiled.

"Later, Tou-san." Naruto flashed away with wave,

* * *

Naruto flashed next to Konohamaru, who flinched at the appearance of his sensei.

"Ya know, you'd think I'd get used to your constant flashing without warning. But, no...scares me every freaking time."

Naruto turned to Konohamaru with a blank stare.

"Things are going a bit more rapid than we thought. We need to act fast." Naruto whispered. The two looked on to the stadium where the announcer was listing the rules, his voice drowned out as Naruto continued.

"I have our match first...for obvious reasons. I need to guard my father...clearly I can't do that with an incoming match. So..."

"Understood. How long do you want the match?"

"However long you need. I have a feeling things won't happen for a while. Just avoid maiming me and I'll try to dodge your pathetic attacks you call r-"

"Hey! They aren't pathetic! Mine are practically as good as yours."

"You wish. You still need two clones to help you..."

"That's- that's not the point!"

"Hmmm. Well, I'll be going now. Yoki!" Yoki looked up and nodded before getting out of his seat and following Naruto out.

"Later, Naruto-sensei!" Konohamaru called out.

Naruto waved as he and Yoki left.

* * *

"And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the first match of the exams! Our predetermined matches go as followed. Aoba Yoki versus Sarutobi Konohamaru! Second, Sabaku no Kankuro versus Sabaku no Gaara, Third, Nara Shikamaru versus Sabaku no Temari. And lastly, Hyuuga Neji versus Uchiha Sasuke."

Minato turned to the Kazekage.

"Are you okay with your sons fighting each other? It was a random draw so we couldn't help it..."

The voice that responded made Minato's muscles frigid.

"It's makes it more...interesting, no? Yondaime Hokage-sama."

"If- if you say so, Kazekage-san"

Minato turned back to the arena, swallowing a bit at the confirmation of his son's assumptions. His thoughts were disrupted when the announcer called out the first pair.

"Aoba Yoki versus Sarutobi Konohamaru! Please present yourself at the center of this arena!"

Konohamaru walked down the stairs, followed by Yoki who appeared just in time to hear his name called. Yoki caught up with Konohamaru and whispered under his breath.

"It will be just like training. A small spar in front of everyone. No biggie. Don't sweat it, Monkey."

"Shut it windbag. I'm not nervous."

"Says the guy with clenched fists that are shaking."

Konohamaru quickly looked down and let go of the tight grip he had. He wiped the sweat off his brow as the two boys made their way to the center. The two boys stood face to face with the proctor in the middle and his hand set out.

"On my mark, boys."

The two shifted into stance. The proctor paused, eyes darting to both boys.

"...Go!"

The proctor jumped away and Yoki and Konohamaru dashed towards each other.

* * *

Yoki resisted the urge to pick his ear while he deflected Konohamaru's attacks. Sure, some of the attacks got through his defense, but it wasn't like it mattered. The hits were too light to give any serious damage, just a few small cuts and bruises. This was ridiculous. Naruto taught him so much about speed and here the monkey was, monkeying around.

"Quit dallying, Saru." Yoki drawled.

Konohamaru kneed but was blocked by Naruto. Konohamaru paused before looking up.

"I know. Just showin' a little taijutsu" he muttered.

With that, Konohamaru jumped away and made a ram handseal.

"Kai."

Yoki smirked. Things were about to get interesting. In an instant, the Monkey disappeared. Yoki looked to the right and immediately brought his hands up to block a kick. Konohamaru was fast, but not Hirashin fast, not Namikaze fast. Yoki secured a hold on Konohamaru's ankle and yanked, taking the boy off balance. Yoki brought his fist up and charged it forward, making contact with Konohamaru's jaw. Konohamaru was launched several meters away and dumped on the dirt ground. Yoki shifted out of stance, waiting for the boy to get up.

"Are you done yet, Sarutobi?"

* * *

Asuma turned to Kakashi.

"Oi, oi, isn't he a bit harsh on my nephew? I mean, he's jounin!"

"Maa, relax Asuma. He's got an...objective..."

Asuma frowned a bit but continued to watch the match

* * *

Konohamaru drowsily got up from the floor, hastily brushing his clothes.

"Not even close, windbag."

Kage bunshin no jutsu!

15 Konohamarus formed around him, posed and ready to strike. Yoki smiled.

"Good, impressive, Sarutobi. Quite a lot of chakra, but..."

Tajuu- Kage bunshin no jutsu!

30 clones appeared around Yoki and immediately charged.

"You don't have enough to beat me."

Konohamaru's clones were decimated in a matter of seconds but Yoki's clones were also destroyed in the clone carnage. A remaining clone stood next to Konohamaru.

"Boss, we gotta do that!"

"I know..."

Yoki smirked a bit.

"Talking to your clone? It gives away a bit too much."

"That's what you think, windbag!"

Konohamaru outstretched his hand and let his clone charge chakra into it. Yoki flashed his eyes at the kage box and smiled at his father's shocked face. He turned back to Konohamaru and charged.

"As if I'd let you!" Yoki yelled.

Yoki jumped and kneed Konohamaru's face away, dispelling the clone, dissipating the ball of chakra, and sending Konohamaru into a tree.

"You're little technique takes too much time."

Yoki flashed in front of Konohamaru's barely conscious form. Naruto outstretched his arm and the ball of chakra formed in a matter of seconds. The blue orb swirled, the chime in the air as the chakra started to change the air around it signaled it's completion. The surrounding shadows were illuminated by the blue light in Yoki's hand.

"I'll show you the real way it's done." He whispered

Rasengan!

Yoki almost pulled back as a realization dawned on him, but his arm continued anyways. He smirked as his hand made contact with Konohamaru, only to have it poof away from existence. Yoki feigned shock before he whipped around and dodged an incoming kick from a dirty looking Konohamaru. Konohamaru crashed to the ground next to him, causing the ground to shake. Konohamaru, realizing his ambush failed, jumped away only to be grabbed by the collar.

"Not so fast."

Konohamaru turned under his grip and quickly grabbed on to Yoki's arm. Yoki was taken back.

"Wha-"

Rasengan!

Yoki turned his head as much as he could under his restraint to see another Konohamaru charging with a Rasengan. He turned back to the one on him who smirked.

"Shadow clone-" realization dawned on Yoki, but it was too late. Konohamaru shoved the Rasengan into Yoki's back. Konohamaru grinned in success but the look went to horror when Yoki disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A voice was heard from behind him.

"You aren't the only one who can use clones, ya know."

"Shit!" Konohamaru turned around to face Yoki but was hit straight in the solar plexus with an uppercut. He gasped in pain as Yoki drove another in the same spot. He quickly got away and hid in the trees, leaving Yoki in the clearing. Yoki grinned.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Saru~" Yoki coaxed.

Konohamaru leaned against the tree, cradling his stomach, gasping for air. He knew he had to lose, but it wasn't in the interest of his pride to go down without a fight. He straightened up, composing himself the best way he could. Yoki was approaching closer to his location. Konohamaru cursed under his breath. He felt like a rabbit, trapped as the prey of a fox. His heart rate quickened as the threat approached even closer.

He used his speed to appear behind Yoki as he cocked his fist back to punch Yoki. Everything went in slow motion from there as Yoki turned around and deflected his punch, pushing it to the side. Konohamaru saw the second punch coming though but couldn't maneuver out of the way. The punch went straight into his nose and everything went black.

The sickening crunch was heard in the echoing arena. Everything went silent to hear Konohamaru's body fall to the floor in a dull thud. The wind blew and the silence permeated for a moment before the crowd erupted in cheers. The proctor made his way to the pair. Medics arrived to pick up Konohamaru and take him out on a stretcher.

"Winner, Aoba Yoki"

Yoki turned to leave for the participant stands as his peers watched him closely. Asuma let his jaw slack, his cigarette falling to the floor, before he face palmed himself.

"That was too much for a genin!" He muttered. Kakashi patted him on the back.

"Maa...it's all good. Just a simple knock out."

"But..his nose!"

"Suck it up, Asuma. He saw it coming, literally" Asuma turned to see Naruto chuckling while walking up to them.

Asuma mock glared at the boy.

"Whatever, the next match is coming up."

"Next match! Sabaku no Kankuro versus Sabaku no Gaara! Please step down to the arena!"

"Sir! I foreit!"

All attention was geared towards the Suna puppeteer. His hand was raised as he stood by the balcony.

"I forfeit the match." The boy repeated.

The announcer frowned.

"A-Alright, Sabaku no Gaara wins by default"

A series of "boos" and other obscenities for the missing action was heard throughout the arena as Kankuro calmly left the participant's booth.

Minato's eyes narrowed. The Raikage turned to the Kazekage.

"Apparently, your own son is a coward. Can't fight his own brother in a light match. Che, ridiculous. Let's hope your daughter has more balls than your son."

The Kazekage didn't respond under the insult, only tipping his hat further down his face to hide his expression. His expression of pure glee. _Soon..._

* * *

Naruto stood guard next to Minato as he watched the Kazekage under his ANBU mask (1). His blue eyes darted under his growling fox mask, surveying the area round him. He was picking up faint chakra signatures on all four corners of the room. He thought, perhaps, they were ANBU for one of the Kages. But what struck a chord was the demonic chakra that lay hidden within each chakra signature, something dark, cold, the depravity in it was hard to ignore. (2)

He drove his attention back to the arena for the next match.

"Third match, Sabaku no Temari versus Nara Shikamaru! Please step down to the arena"

* * *

(1) foggraven: Response to your review couple chapters back, lol long time ago. As you said: hmm I think It would be kind of cool to have him occasionally act as an anbu agent for certain missions during the story but generally just be his normal jounin self, maybe during to the pre shippuden three year time skip.  
Bam, wish come true. As due to majority of the poll, Naruto-kun here will be ANBU. But! Here's the catch, he's only a temporary ANBU. His main job is a normal jounin but he recieves special missions as an ANBU on the side. Therefore, in this chapter, he isn't illegally being an ANBU (remember what Minato said about impersonating ANBU?)

(2) Did I use "depravity" right? I'm trying to use vocabulary words from my english class to help, ya know, enrichen my writing. So any help on that is absolutely welcome. Tell me if I'm using a word wrong!

Jutsus:

If you don't know Kage bunshin no jutsu, at least the context will help you.

Rasengan...I don't even, no, just no.

Alright, later gators!


	29. Chapter 29

an:/ So, I have given you another slow update...I almost feel bad...almost XD nothing better than some suspense right? Alright, the match between Temari and Shikamaru is gonna be plain boring, but it's basically gonna be canon. Nothing much, just an abbreviated version of the fight. Other than that, er, yeah. A bit of Ooc on Sasuke's part because frankly I hate emo Sasuke.

Review responses:

urworstnightmare: So, I have no idea what you were talking about, so I did the only thing I could do at the given situation, laugh. I'll hold you to your promises, though. If I do in fact make fun of a story, I'll leave it to you to keep me in line. I didn't moderate your view. But since I don't want to have your review shown on my reviews, I'm gonna keep it between you and me. Is that alright with you? I hope it is, because that's how it's going to be even if you kick and scream. As for my fanfiction career, do your worst.

Doomslayer10000: Ah thank you. I plan on making Sasuke...not so broody, I hope. Maybe this chapter will kinda change that, I hope again. Sasuke is a weird character...as for Konohamaru, I feel like he is downplayed in the series so I hope to shed light on what the real Sarutobi Konohamaru and what he can do. Obviously he's gonna be badass XD

Tsuukiyomi: Yes, the subtle hints of who was Minato's guards...

Damon Furey: I don't really plan on having Naruto intimidate people as an ANBU but his mask was part of his war outfit so they know him by his mask (because he didn't want to be known in the Kiri wars) Fear factor is there indeed. Response to PM: US of A :P

Foxxel: Sadly, 29 didn't come out as fast TT TT I didn't have access to a computer till now...how depressing is that.

Mathiasosx: Wow, thanks for sticking with me! I'm glad you liked my story. (I totally understand the laziness. Sometimes I read stories that are really long...and don't review till like, chapter 60, whoops)

rocker101: Now it may not have appeared here...but I got Sasuke to learn the jutsu he's always wanted...just not now...I totally get what you mean, but...I'm not gonna have him go up against gaara...whoops? But no fear. Chidori will be there on his list of jutsus.

Zatheko: Thank you! Sasuke's match is heree! (yay!) Sadly, the update speed was short lived... kinda made me depressed... :(

avengeme: Oh pish posh. Raikage has every right to call whoever he wants a coward. He's the raikage! Hahaha but of all seriousness, the Raikage doesn't really know much about the bloodthirstiness of Gaara, so yeah...as for the fight with Orochimaru...you'll just have to wait and seeee...

The Keeper of Worlds: Oh I am so gonna enjoy writing the upcoming chapters, this is like...the watershed of everything.

SakuraFairy1990: Bingo!

Minato Namikaze Uzamaki: This chapter won't top the previous one, the next one will though! So hang in there!

NahNoNada: You changed your name didn't ya. Females stumbling over their trousers...

* * *

Naruto discreetly stretched his muscles as he stood post behind Minato. His eyes never leaving the arena as the Nara and the Suna nin walked down to the center of the arena. Naruto could already see the Nara looking around at his surroundings, analyzing everything, while the Suna kunoichi strutted pridefully to the center, unaware of her surroundings. The two stood still at the center as the proctor stood between them

"Are you two ready?..."

They shifted into stance.

"...Go!"

Shikamaru immediately jumped away as Temari whipped out her fan to hit him. Well, it was a new fan since the last one was burned away by acid, cheers to a certain weapons mistress.

"Che, stand still, will ya, boy?" Temari snarked.

"Unlikely. How about you?"

Shikamaru stopped a few meters away and knelt down.

Kagemane no jutsu!

His shadow extended towards Temari but she knew better. She kept dodging backwards, racing the shadows to the river.

"I know you Naras are all about shadows. You can't trick me."

Shikamaru stopped his shadow, or rather, the shadow stopped extending itself, struggling to go farther, but unable to.

"So that's the extent, huh." Temari smirked. She dragged her fan across the ground to mark his reach.

"Looks like if I just stand here, you can't reach me. I'll get you when you give up."

Shikamaru sighed and rolled his eyes.

"This is troublesome..."

* * *

Naruto looked away as the Kazekage gave a sudden movement, like a lurch. The other two kage's didn't seem to notice as the Kazekage looked like he was suppressing a fit of coughs and gags. _I guess stealing someone's skin isn't as foolproof as most thought._

He brought his attention back to the four mysterious chakra signature and frowned. They seemed eerily familiar, like he had felt them before, somewhere, somehow. The feeling of this...malice, it didn't seem quite right. Naruto tapped Minato's shoulder and nodded. Minato waved him away and Naruto flashed out of the box.

* * *

The fight seemed absolutely repetitive. Shikamaru would pause a moment before starting his jutsu up. Temari just stood still, fan lodged in the ground at the edge of the outstretched shadow. Konohamaru couldn't help but yawn in boredom. This was absolutely boring to him, there was no action, no exchange. Hell, they didn't even talk. Just a few smirks from the Kunoichi every time the shadow jutsu failed. Shikamaru sat cross legged against the wall of the arena, waiting in the shadows.

Sakura watched from above and knew immediately what was going on. Shikamaru was a genius! His plan, while a bit long, was understandable. Sakura continued to watch, absorbing in every movement, every _chess move._

Naruto stood behind the other genins, most of whom were lazily sitting in their chair, sleeping even. He had to say, the match was pretty anticlimactic but hey- every plan needs time. Naruto had some clue of what was going on, but he continued to watch as the plan unraveled before him. _This guy just keeps getting more interesting!_

* * *

Shikamaru's shadow suddenly extended over the mark, catching the kunoichi off guard. Unfortunately for her, her fan was caught in the shadows and she couldn't take it with her as she dodged.

"How-"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Shikamaru drawled.

He sat back down from his position and plopped himself against the wall.

""Man, this is boring..." He turned away and returned his focus to the clouds above.

Temari clicked her tongue as she marked the extent of his shadow with her foot, unable to reach her fan. Shikamaru took off his jacket as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Temari caught movement as Shikamaru threw a kunai up. She didn't bother look at where the kunai went since it went completely off target. (an:/ can anyone guess why? har har har, lol this is so bad)

"Wow, you Konoha nins suck! Talk about lack of accuracy."

Shikamaru pushed himself off the wall and tried the jutsu again. Temari smirked and rested her hands on her hips. I know you're going by time, so if I step back-"

She jumped back a few steps.

"-You can't get me."

Shikamaru continued his jutsu as it stretched to where her fan was. Then it went past to where her present marker was. Temari smirked as it made its way towards her but stopped a few feet away.

"See-"

Suddenly the shadow veered off in a different direction into a blob on the floor...A shadow. It was too late, as the jutsu attained new energy from the random shadow, it dashed at incredible speeds towards the Kunoichi and ensnared it in it's grasps.

"H-how"

Shikamaru looked up, causing Temari's head to follow suit. Temari caught glimpse of the kunai he threw. It was floating with his jacket tied up in a form of a parachute. She glared, her teeth clenched.

"D-damn you..."

Shikamaru began to raise his hand, causing her to do the same. She tried to resist but the jutsu was too strong, her body's will leaving her as her arm raised up high.

Shikamaru then let go of the 's hand dropped but Shikamaru's hand did not.

"I forfeit." He continued.

Then Konohamaru jumped from his seat.

"What!?" he yelled. "You practically won! You waited all that time to forfeit?"

"I'm out of chakra. I wouldn't be able to continue my match for the next round."

The proctor, amongst the confusion, appeared between them and called the match.

"Er, by default, the winner is Sabaku no Temari."

The cheers came trickling in at the obscurity of who the winner was of the match. It came out awkward till it became a somewhat pleasant clap. No, actually, it remained an awkward applause as the medics took Shikamaru and Temari away, even though they weren't really hurt. What an awkward match.

* * *

Naruto turned and headed for the main lobby. He shifted over to the side of the hall just as an ANBU appeared next to him.

"Long time no see, Inari boy"

"Long time no see, Zabuza. How's ANBU life treating you?"

"Pleasantly. Haku is having fun teaching at academy."

"I will never understand teaching little chillin'. The genin are enough for me, and they're my age."

"Ha, just wait brat. You're little father will unload another bunch on ya after these ones become chuunin."

"Please don't remind me of the inevitable."

Zabuza laughter barked through the halls.

"So I heard there's a little fight comin' up, if ya get my drift."

"I take it you're excited?"

"Damn straight. My blade hasn't been in a real fight lately, all just assassinations. It's in dire need of blood" (an:/ the whole iron aspect of the blade I forgot to mention in the previous fight)

"Hmm. I have a feeling it will come soon. So, be on standby"

"Why else am I here? Saw your previous match, by the way. Intense for your own student, dontcha think?"

"Why does everyone know who I am?"

"Er, the meeting? Remember?"

"What? Oh, right! Geez, I have so much on my mind lately. The whole invasion thing, it's hard to get my mind wrapped around some details."

"Boy, you're slipping. Anyways, I'm no psychiatrist, so lay off. I gotta go. See ya, Inari-boy" Zabuza waved as he performed the standard Konoha shunshin. Naruto smirked and continued his way to change into "Aoba Yoki".

* * *

"Final match of the first round! Uchiha Sasuke versus Hyuuga Neji! Please come down to the center of the arena!"

Up in the stands, the Uchiha clan, or what's left of it (1), glared to the right of themselves, right at the Hyuuga clan, who were glaring with equal ferocity. The clan heads looked at each other.

"Uchiha."

"Hyuuga"

The two clan head's clipped greeting ended as fast as it started as their attention was directed to the match between their contenders. The Hyuuga prodigy versus the Uchiha prodigy.

Sasuke and Neji walked down the stairs, a sense of pride and arrogance around them made the air heavier. Each trying to outclass the other in royalty. They "gracefully" made their way to the center of the arena where the proctor waited. Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _I thought that by making Kakashi teach him, this wouldn't be a problem. _Naruto clicked his tongue.

The two boys stood ready at the mark.

"Are you both ready?..."

They got into stance, both activating their doujutsus. Uchiha's Sharingan flared to life as the Hyuuga's Byakugan manifested.

"...Go!"

Both boys cocked their fists back and launched it at each other's faces. As if a mirror were between them, they both tilted their heads back, letting the other's fist fly past their face. They both regained their bearings before Neji started his gentle fist. Sasuke's sharingan started to spin as it read each of the Hyuuga's movements. He dodged, ducked, and twisted under and around the strikes that came flying. He went on offensive a few times when an opportunity was found, only to be deflected by the Hyuuga with his all-seeing eye. They shoved each other back and breathed heavily.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hyuuga Neji."

"It seems...that fate has brought us together today."

"What fate." Sasuke smirked.

"What do you think?" He sneered. "The two prodigies of the biggest clans of Konoha...or should I say the biggest versus the former."

"Take that back." Sasuke spat. Neji ignored him and continued.

"It's really a shame that three fourths of your clan died off, by another Uchiha no less. At least...the Hyuuga are more loyal..." Neji sneered.

Sasuke shook with anger.

"You...you're DEAD!" Sasuke roared.

"...By your own brother, on top of it. What...a...shame" Neji emphasized.

His Sharingan started to spin wildly until a third tomoe formed within his eye. He screamed as he charged forth, his Sharingan almost pulsing. Neji smirked and got into stance. At the last moment, Neji launched his fist out at fast speeds, expecting the Uchiha to be too blinded with rage to catch the motion. But, oh, how wrong the Hyuuga was. Sasuke dodged the fist, eyes not leaving Neji's own doujutsu. Not giving him time to react, Sasuke shot his fist out at Hyuuga's face, launching Neji several meters away.

"Don't...don't you dare ever say that again." Sasuke growled.

Neji got up on his feet. "I think, this will be a lot easier than I thought. Fate has deemed me lucky tod-"

"Fuck fate. There is no fate."

"Of course, there is. Why else would I be fighting you? Fate has given me the chance to prove the worthiness of the Hyuuga family."

"Don't you get it? There is no fate! The reason why we are having a match is to prove whether we are worthy of chuunin. Don't take your silly clan ideals into this. I thought my Sensei drilled that into you last time..."

* * *

Least to say, Fugaku was taken back. His son, the new heir of the Uchiha clan, has decided to put clan ideals behind to fight. For _himself_. It was shocking, but somehow he felt proud. Proud that his son was a cut above the mindless Hyuuga, fighting for more than just clan orders.

Naruto leaned back against the wall and smirked. That's absolutely correct. He's going to have to treat his student with a crap ton of tomatoes after the match.

* * *

"Uchiha..." Neji growled.

"They call you the prodigy of the Hyuuga. You know what they call me? Uchiha Sasuke. Anyone can be a prodigy, only a handful get recognition or their name. What have you done for Hyuuga Neji, not for the prodigy of the Hyuuga?"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear anything from scum like you."

"Your loss of identity makes me sympathetic-"

"I don't need sympathy" Neji spat.

"Of course. you don't. What you do need, is your ass handed to you on a silver plate. Who better than Uchiha Sasuke to do so?" Sasuke smirked as he entered a new stance.

"Uchiha!" Neji yelled as he charged.

Sasuke's hands started to glow blue until they bursted out cracklings with lightning. He shifted lower into a stance as the crackling grew bigger. Sasuke's whole body started to develop the glowing blue sheen until he was encased in lightning chakra.

* * *

The Raikage started to sputter.

"This-this kid!"

Minato let out a dry chuckle.

"It seems, Raikage-sama, that the Uchiha heir has upped you one..."

"Che-"

* * *

Beji stopped his charging when he noticed the chakra pouts if his body exploding with chakra. Chakra with an _elemental affinity._

Raiton: Kirin no shippo no muchi

Sasuke crouched and whipped his leg out into a wheel kick. With the lash, a pulse of lightning chakra formed, accelerating closer to Neji at an incredible rate. Like a whip, the lightning slashed at Neji, launching him several feet away, crackling with lightning. Sasuke then practically flashed in front of Neji.

Raiton: Kaminari Suzume

At point blank range, Sasuke sent a jolt of electricity through Neji, causing the Hyuuga to let out a scream of pain.

"Why- why do you do this.." Neji winced in pain, breathing heavily. "Why- do you try so hard? Why do you defy your clan? You're not sealed with a bird cage seal...you don't know ANYTHING!"

"I've been brandished with a seal too. Not by my clan, but a controlling seal no less. Does it look like I'm following anyone's orders? It's not my clan, or anyone else, that decides my fate. I do. Anyone who thinks otherwise, is dead to me. Anyone who follows orders mindlessly, is dead to me. I'm done following orders, question is...are you."

Neji used his last strength to look up and saw Sasuke looking down at him, still encased in lightning. Without another word, Neji felt another shock of lightning pulse go through him and everything went black.

* * *

"Winner is Uchiha Sasuke."

The audience broke out into cheers. Sasuke slumped back, the chakra armor disappearing into the air as he fell back onto the ground. The medics made their way to the two boys and carried them out on stretchers. Naruto flashed next to them.

"How's it going, Sasuke."

"Sensei...I feel exhausted."

Naruto smiled. "You did well out there...good job"

Sasuke smirked and closed his eyes. Naruto flashed back to the stands. The announcer started again.

"Those advancing to the next stage: Aoba Yoki, Sabaku no Gaara, Sabaku no Temari, and Uchiha Sasuke. Please wait another thirty minutes for break time."

* * *

Orochimaru was getting giddy with the thought of the invasion. All he had to do was give the signal and his agents in the crowd would put all the benighted civilians into a Genjutsu, and he would kill the Hokage, Namikaze Minato, the one who took the position away from him. _He_ was suppose to be the Yondaime Hokage, not some green jounin that caught light of some many. With all the access to the forbidden jutsus, Orochimaru thought Minato was stupid to turn down the opportunity.

Namikaze Minato. The man that took away _his_ opportunity. Well, for compensation, he'll just have to take away his life. Imagine that, to kill off the most prized Hokage, the one who defeated a bijuu, the one that killed off thousands of Iwa nin, taking a name greater than the Sannins themselves, the one who will fall at the hands of Orochimaru. His thoughts were impeded by a fit of coughs.

Orochimaru couldn't stand the Jutsu he was in. It's deleterious effects were starting to take toll as he felt his insides turn. He would have to make the invasion start soon if he wanted to be in top shape to fight Namikaze. All he had to do was wait till the man's son left. The stupid kid was the ANBU guard that stopped by every so often. He glanced over to the blonde Hokage contemptuously before he broke out into another set of suppressed coughs and gags.

"Sir? Are you alright?"

Orochimaru felt a hand on his shoulder and stiffened. He started to panic at the thought that Minato had touched him. One touch and the man would have tagged you with his seal. That would be the end of it. He turned to see the ANBU, Namikaze Naruto, looking over at him in concern. He straightened himself out and relaxed.

"Yes, yes" he waved the boys hand off.

"Alright, sir."

Naruto straightened out and walked towards the door. He still couldn't shake off the feel of the four fetid chakra signatures at each corner. He had a rather acerbic countenance under his mask as he left to change back into Aoba Yoki. Something was going to happen soon. It was only imminent and the sense of foreboding was too hard to ignore.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, recovered from his fit of coughs, had now dawned a malicious smirk. His tongue ran across his bottom lip. Underneath his cloak sleeve, he revealed a blade dripping with purple liquid. The animosity in his eyes could no longer keep itself hidden as he slowly tipped the Kazekage's hat down to cover his face.

_Namikaze Minato. Prepare to Die._

* * *

(1) What is this? Is this foreboding? Can you guess why Itachi is looked down upon now?

*cowers in fear in a corner* DON'T KILL ME! Alright. So, I kinda left you on a sorta weird cliff hanger. Let me tell you though, the next few chapters are the chapters I'm going to enjoy typing so much. So if I don't update fast enough, it's because I want the next couple chapters as awesome as they can be. Now that the little petty fights are over, the real badassery begins! Not much of a poll aside from the fact that I will for sure now, split the story. Expect this story to now have a sequel in which NaruSaku becomes prominent and the "Shippuden" will occur. Well, I think that's it. Hope you kinda enjoyed Sasuke's bit of OOC. I don't want him emo and shit so I decided to change him...on a whim. Yay for improv!

Jutsu translation:

Kagemane no jutsu: Well well well...it's Shikamaru's awesome jutsu. Shadow imitation jutsu

Raiton: Kirin no Shippo no Muchi: Lighting release:Kirin's tail whip (I decided to keep the Kirin theme for Sasuke...no taka...I hate the bird...and the team...damn them (I hope that wasn't a spoiler...))

**note on Sasuke's chakra coating**: No it's not really the Raikage's jutsu. It was just to protect him from Neji blocking his Chakra points and to help with the Kirin tail whip...if that makes any sense  
That's it...right?

Matta neee!


	30. Chapter 30

An:/ Notes and Review Responses come last, for now, enjoy the story that I worked so hard to procure this week:

* * *

"We will now commence the second round to the final portion of the Chuunin exam. The first match is...Aoba Yoki versus Sabaku no Gaara. Please step down to the center of the arena."

Yoki jumped down and made his way to the center as Gaara did the same. Gaara looked at Yoki and grinned.

"It's _you_...mother wants your blood..."

Yoki picked his ear and looked at his pinky apathetically.

"Uh, yeah, how about no."

The proctor was a bit startled but placed his hands between the two.

"You boys ready?"

Gaara stood still but Yoki dropped into stance. _Wrong move, raccoon._

"...Go!"

Gaara didn't move a muscle as Yoki jumped back. It was slightly disappointing for the audience but Yoki didn't particularly care. Not everyone attacks the minute they call the match. Kurama was practically laughing his ass off in Yoki's head when Gaara declared that "mother" wanted his container's blood. Who would've thought that the raccoon was a _mother_.

The two stood still for a moment before Yoki cocked his head to the side.

"Ya know, if you're not going to attack first, I'll do the honors."

Yoki rolled his neck before charging straight at Gaara. Gaara didn't even twitch when Yoki cocked his fist back. When the punch came close to his face, his sand had immediately shifted into place, ready to block the incoming attack. What Gaara failed to see was the wind chakra that had encased Yoki's hand. By the time Gaara had realized his mistake, the hand had pierced his sand and gone straight at his jaw.

Yoki watched as Gaara rocketed through the arena, all the way across to the other side. Gaara made a nice crater when he made contact with the wall.

"Whoops." Yoki drawled.

Gaara, as expected, survived the hit and was now taking his time to get up. Yoki tsk-ed and dashed in front of Gaara (he didn't want to use hiraishin just yet). Not giving the redhead a chance, he rammed his chakra enforced fist into Gaara's stomach, nullifying the sand defense with the chakra. Gaara let out a gag but couldn't defend himself as Yoki continued his barrage of unbelievably fast and strong punches. Yoki finally relented as he sent one last punch into the crazed boy's chin. Gaara was, once again, sent to the ground to eat dirt.

"Ah, and here I thought you'd be a challenge. I guess the one tail...pales in comparison to the nine tails."

A few people in the audience gasped at the mention of the bijuus. Minato paled at the taunting his son was participating in. You don't make fun of a bijuu! Kurama, on the other hand, was cracking up to no end.

**Way to rile up that son of a bitch, kit.**

_No problem, Kurama._

Playing right into Yoki's hands, Gaara let out a blood curdling scream, obviously on that belonged to none other than the Shukaku.

_**"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU LITTLE BAG OF FUCK! I'LL TEAR YOU TO PIECES-"**_

Yoki's stupid chuckle interrupted the bijuu's rant as he continued reading the orange book he had taken out. He picked his nose with his pinky as he continued to read with a fair blush.

**_"LISTEN TO ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT-"_**

"AOBA YOKI, YOU BETTER LISTEN TO HIM THIS INSTANT! AND THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU WITH THAT DAMNED BOOK, I'LL HANG YOU UP BY YOUR TOENAILS OVER A POOL OF SHARKS, YA HEAR! BURN IT RIGHT NOW!"

Yoki almost dropped the book and blanched at the sound of his mother. The redhead was growling behind her ANBU mask, scaring her fellow ANBU on her team. Yoki started to comically cry as the book bursted into flames in his hand. Gaara, or rather, Shukaku was shaking in anger, eyes twitching as Yoki continued to ignore him and started the funeral of his literature.

**_"DAMN YOU!"_**

Shukaku charged, Gaara's right arm started to bulge and contort until sand started to burst out of his shoulder joint. A claw of sand started to manifest as Gaara started to sprout ears and a tail.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Shukaku. I can't have you going on rampage in this small arena" Yoki was now standing up straight, his brown eyes made the air cool and heavy.

**_"SHUT UP, HUMAN! I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT!"_**

Shukaku finally appeared in front of Yoki and started cocked his claw back to swipe at Yoki. Yoki watched boredly as the claw descended on him, not bothering to put a horrified face or some form of panic on his exterior. Shukaku's claw crashed through the ground, the pressure of the hit denting the ground. Yoki, tired of drawing it out, flashed behind him. He stretched a bit, his head rolled back and his arms above his head. But when he opened his eyes, his face contorted to pure shock, his arms dropped to his sides. His eyes were wide and his lips were trembling in a straight line.

Every single stand was covered in feathers as the civilians began to drop like flies. He instinctively released the Genjutsu, watching as other Shinobi did the same. What really scared him, though, was the large purple box surrounding the Kage stand._ Tou-san_.

He was expecting an invasion, but this...this was not what he imagined. All the Shinobi were battling against enemy nin, the sound of kunai clashing rang through the arena. _Like war._

Yoki immediately dropped the henge and moved to head toward the box but was brought to a halt by a growl behind him. He whipped around and saw that Gaara had become a miniature Shukaku, steam escaping from the heavy growls that came from the bijuu.

"...I...I don't have time for this." Naruto hissed desperately.

The Shukaku charged forward, multiple tendrils of sand shot out of the raccoon's body. Naruto nimbly dodged, weaving through the strands of sand. Unexpectedly, the tendrils started to branch off each other. A few of the branches cut past Naruto's arms and legs, his cheek now wearing a cut. The ever multiplying sand kept going as Naruto cursed and fled back.

Once out of reach, Naruto pulled out his sword and got into stance before shooting forwarded towards the charging bijuu. His sword cut through the tendrils as he made his way closer to the Shukaku. The creature let out a scream as it launched it's claw out to meet with Naruto's blade. Naruto shifted his weight back, letting the claw slam into the ground before he pounced, blade already thrusting towards the center. Blade met sand, but the resistance was incredible. Naruto leaned his weight into the blade as he continued to lodge his blade into the stomach of the bijuu.

"It's not...getting through" Naruto grunted as he twisted his blade for leverage. His head snapped up as a breeze went by. He made it just in time to dodge the large tail that swiped at him, leaving the blade still lodged in the sand. Naruto skidded away and watched as the Shukaku remained unfazed by the long blade protruding out of it. Clearly, the katana hadn't reached Gaara yet. _Too shallow_.

He sped through hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground, watching as spikes of earth shot out of the ground. Surprisingly agile, the Shukaku hopped away from the spears shooting out of the ground. The Shukaku puffed his chest out before shooting pellets of air out of it's mouth.

Fuuton: Renkuudan no jutsu (Drilling air bullet) (an:/ I don't think this is the right Jutsu...but you know what I mean)

Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu (Great fireball technique)

The fireball spewed out of Naruto's mouth, overcoming the small wind bullets. But suddenly, Naruto something ram into his stomach. He lurched as he was sent crashing across the dirt floor from the air bullet that managed to get past the fireball. The shukaku, on the other hand, scrambled to get away from the large fireball coming towards it. This was the opening Naruto needed. He straightened up and charged forward.

* * *

Minato was having a rather bad day. He woke up with bed head on the day he had to make a public appearance, his toast got burnt, a majority of his white cloaks were stained with coffee, leaving only one pair left, and he had to wear the crummy traditional Hokage cloak over his normal clothes (frankly it looked like a dress). He, then, had to renew all the security seals within the entire village,_ in one hour_. And to top it all off, the traditional Hokage cloak was now ruined thanks to a stupid snake. The council will most likely give him an earful if his wife didn't give it to him first. He clicked his tongue as he peeled away what was left of the traditional cloak, revealing his normal battle outfit, jounin uniform under is custom made Yondaime cloak. In a way, he wore the cloak just to piss off the stupid Sannin, but mostly he felt he would be weird without it. Now as the words 'Yondaime Hokage" were dawned on his back he looked up to face the 'Kazekage'.

"It's been awhile, has it not. Though, I can't really say I'm happy to see you."

"Namikaze Minato"

"Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with unknown emotions; Minato couldn't help but give a dry chuckle.

"I would ask why you're here and why you're doing this, but I bet even a genin knows. I'll warn you, though, I'm not going to be as lenient as Sarutobi Hiruzen. You're not my student and I'm not one to show mercy. Hiruzen was too soft on you when he was Hokage and I'm not about to make the same mistake. You're treachery ends here along with your life and the lives of your four experiments."

"Oh, don't be so harsh, Namikaze. From one scientist to another, don't you just find the cursed seal..._fascinating_?"

"I could hardly call you a scientist. Your _experiments_ are inhumane and can be classified as torture."

"It's more complicated than that, Minato. It involves much more work-"

"-that you stole from fuuin masters from all over the world. I saw that seal you put on Uchiha Sasuke. I can tell that the only work you did on it was string it together and bite victims." Minato narrowed his ice blue eyes.

Unfortunately, he was the only one in the barrier because he had sent the Raikage out to deal with the rest of the invasion. It's not like he couldn't fight Orochimaru alone, quite the opposite. But, Minato couldn't help but feel slightly nervous at the fact that Orochimaru had decided to fight him alone; without any back up aside from the four nin creating the barrier. If you think about it, Orochimaru could have brought anybody of his choosing while Minato would be stuck by himself (well, he did send off the Raikage. But, that was part of the strategy). Though with further investigation, he could technically use Hiraishin to get out, but he would have to have a marker on the outside. His house? Too far. The Hokage tower? Not close enough. His armory? Incredibly too far. What other places...

Orochimaru cracked his neck to the side before he dashed forward, flashing through a set of seals.

Fuuton: Daitoppa!

The gust of wind aimed dead on Minato rushed forward. Minato flashed away, appearing behind Orochimaru with a kunai. He slashed at Orochimaru only to have the snake dissolve into small snakes that slithered to the floor. Minato looked forward to find Orochimaru diverging from the ground. Minato threw one of his tri-pronged kunai and weaved through a set of his own.

Kunai Kage bunshin no jutsu

The kunai multiplied in numbers, the rain of kunai heading straight towards Orochimaru. Orochimaru slammed his hands on the ground.

Douton: Doryuuheki

The kunai rained upon the wall formed by the sannin, lodging themselves into the ground and wall. Orochimaru smirked and turned back to Minato only to see him flash away. He flinched and whipped around, quickly dodging the punch coming from the blonde Hokage. Minato crashed into the wall and slowly got up. He nimbly dodged an incoming snake that shot out of Orochimaru's sleeve and flashed away. Minato suddenly appeared to the right of Orochimaru, Rasengan at already in motion.

Rasengan!

Minato rammed the spinning ball of chakra into Orochimaru's side, full force, causing Orochimaru to explode. The mud splattered everywhere as Minato clicked his tongue and flashed away. Orochimaru diverged from the ground and started running with a kunai at hand. Minato pulled out one of his own and waited. Just as Orochimaru stepped into Minato's field of kunai, the Hokage disappeared. Orochimaru suddenly split into different pieces before spilling to the floor in the form of snakes. The snakes slithered away but reformed further away just as Minato stopped in the center of his kunai field. The two were at a stand still until the sannin smirked and bit his thumb.

"I'll show you, Namikaze Minato, why that cloak means nothing..."

The sannin weaved through another set of hand seals before slamming on the ground.

Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei

* * *

Sakura and Konohamaru were back to back, taking down enemy nin every so often. Sasuke had emerged from the medical room and was fighting off the attackers, as well. A few miles away, a large snake summon was making it's way to the walls of Konoha. Though, it wasn't for long before a large toad appeared.

"Jiraiya-boy, what's going on." It croaked.

The conversation was too far away to hear what Jiraiya had to say but the toad immediately began to attack the snake summon.

* * *

Naruto weaved through several hand signs before flashing in front of the Shukaku and palm-heeled the boy on the forehead.

Yajuu no Fuuinjutsu (Beast sealing technique)

Naruto grabbed his blade and jumped away, quickly weaving through another set before slamming his hands on the ground.

Douton: Juu Sekisou no Shouheki (Ten stone spear barrier)

Ten spikes rose from the ground and began merge together, encasing the boy who was still screaming in agony from the beast sealing technique.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered as Gaara left his vision behind the rock.

Naruto turned and flashed away to the roof of the kage's stand.

* * *

Minato shifted into a stance as he saw two coffins rise from the ground, one reading "Sho" and the other "Ni". Oh, he knew all about the impure resurrection, alright. A nasty jutsu if used to it's full potential but guessing who Minato thinks Orochimaru summoned, psychological warfare wasn't part of the plan in Orochimaru's head.

"Shodaime and Nidaime. Going a bit far there, are we, Orochimaru? Three against one is hardly fair."

"Who said this had to be fair-uhrg"

Orochimaru's eyes went wide as he lurched, slowly looking down to see a long blade protruding from his abdomen.

"You're right, who said this was going to be fair." A voice came from behind.

"Namikaze...Naruto...when?-" Orochimaru lurched before melting into mud.

"Che, a mud clone." Naruto flicked the mud of his katana and turned to the two coffins. He thanked himself for planning ahead and tagging the snake earlier. After looking at the seals outside the barrier, he found out he could use hiraishin to get in.

The lids suddenly snapped open as Minato flashed next to his son. Naruto relaxed his tense muscles at the voice of his father, who was perfectly fine.

"Sealing?" Minato asked.

"Sealing." Naruto confirmed. Minato smirked and shifted into stance; Naruto followed suit.

The lids fell to the ground, revealing a man in red samurai-like armor with long black hair and another man with blue samurai-like armor with spiky white hair.

"Up against the previous Hokage, huh. How troublesome." Naruto rolled a few kinks in his neck and waited for the corpses to move. The coffins disappeared and Orochimaru appeared behind the two bodies.

"Ku-ku-ku, this will be interesting. The Namikaze versus the Senju."

Suddenly, the two Hokage's eyes snapped open, revealing two pairs of black and red eyes.

"Oh, where are we?" The Shodaime started.

"I believe we have never seen you two before..." The Nidaime continued.

"I'm the Yondaime Hokage and this is my son. You have been revived by Orochimaru of the Sannin. You are in the middle of an invasion of Konohagakure." Minato reported briefly.

"Ah, my technique. Orochimaru using my technique? That's a surprise..."

"Of course your technique would be used for bad. Dammit, Tobirama! You did it again!"

"Shut up, this is serious."

Hashirama straightened and frowned, Tobirama fixed his usual scowl before the two looked behind him at the sight of Orochimaru. Tobirama glared.

"Of course Orochimaru would be behind this. The rotten snake of Hiruzen's only met my expectations."

"Quiet, Tobirama!... We can't really move can we."

Orochimaru smirked and pulled out two kunai with fuuin tags. Minato frowned.

"Another stolen work, Orochimaru?"

"Ku-ku-ku..." Orochimaru let the kunai merge into the back of the heads of the previous Hokage. Their eyes snapped open wide at the intrusion.

"I let them maintain their previous personalities and the ability to talk. It will be interesting to see the conversation between three Hokage."

"This is ridiculous." Tobirama growled as his body shifted into stance.

Naruto threw his own set of Hiraishin kunai and let them multiply, mixing in with his father's kunai.

"Tou-san. Which technique are we going to use? The shiki fuuin is out of the question at this point."

"I know- we have to use the sealing tags. I have to make them right now, so buy me time."

"I'm not sure I can fend off a Kage, let alone two. Better make it quick."

"Who do you think I am? I'm a master! Speed is not an issue!" Minato reprimanded.

Naruto scoffed.

"Uh, speaking of master. Aren't there TWO of them?" Naruto turned to Minato, hands on his hips.

"Yeah, but I have seniority!"

"You two! Pay attention! Tobirama at your 8 and me at your 5 o'clock!" Hashirama yelled. The two blondes snapped out of their conversation, turning to the directions the Shodaime had given to them. Kunai met kunai and the sparks and clang rang in the air. Naruto took on Tobirama as Minato took on Hashirama. Minato quickly flashed away from sight as Naruto flashed to the side to face the two Hokages.

"Aren't you a bit young to be fighting us, kid? Kage versus genin is hardly a fair match" Tobirama pointed. Naruto growled.

"I don't know if they had these vests back in your archaic time, but it shows that I'm a jounin."

"Whoa! You're a jounin! Impressive!" Hashirama exclaimed.

"Regardless, do you guys think you could stall for me? Because regardless of my rank, Tobirama-sama is correct in a way; two kages versus a jounin isn't fair, either."

"We can sort of stall, but we don't have much control over our bodies. That is the part of the jutsu."

"Alright, do what you can. We're going to find a way to let you rest in peace for once."

"Sounds like a plan, kid-" Tobirama only shifted into stance. "-but it won't be as easy as it sounds."

Naruto sighed and shifted into stance, his eyes now as cold as ice.

"I'll hold my own for just enough time. Bring it."

Tobirama charged forth as Hashirama started to weave through hand seals. Naruto flashed as Tobirama started to attack and appeared up in the air, sending a volley of shuriken to the Shodaime. Hashirama's hand seals were interrupted as he dodged the flying projectiles and watched as Tobirama stepped in front of him to fend off the attacks as he restarts the set of seals.

Naruto flashed behind Hashirama and sent a Rasengan into the Shodaime's back, launching the man into Tobirama and sending the two several meters away. Tobirama recovered first and started his jutsu.

Suiton: Suishouha! (Tidal wave)

The flood of water appeared and the large waves started to kick in as the roof suddenly became a violent sea in a middle of a storm. Naruto jumped up and landed on the water with his chakra right before he flashed through a set of hand seals.

Suiton: Nanatsu suiko (Seven water foxes)

Seven large water foxes formed and started to charge at the Hokages. Three ran forth towards Hashirama while the remaining four went for Tobirama. Tobirama slammed his hands on the water, causing a wall of water to protect him from the water foxes. Hashirama sank into the water and disappeared as the foxes fell upon his previous position. Naruto frowned before going through another set.

Fuuton: Kaze no Koukyougaku (Symphony of the winds)

A large wind storm started to appear as the water sank into a vortex below the forming tornado. The wind started to pick up as the high pitched wail of the gales started to ring in the air. Hashirama was now sinking further into the center of the vortex having been caught earlier. Tobirama dispersed in a water clone. As soon as the wind died down Tobirama reappeared and Hashirama started to reassemble from the pile of ash caused from the vortex. The sounds of peeling paper was heard as Naruto watched Hashirama reassemble himself.

"That is a creepy jutsu you created, Tobirama-sama."

"Quiet, kid."

Naruto raised his hands in mock surrender just as Minato flashed next to him.

"I got them completed."

"Great. I was afraid I'd have to resort to taijutsu."

Minato watched as well as Hashirama's leg started to form. When it was done, Hashirama stood up.

"Some weird jutsu, Tobirama" Hashirama sighed.

"That's what I said!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Heh, I like you kid. Now, Yondaime, your chance to seal us away is now!"

"I know-"

The Senjus' eyes suddenly widened and their bodies went frigid.

"Yo-Yondaime, we're...losing...control. H-Hurry" Hashirama struggled before weaving through hand seals. Suddenly, the ground started to shake before trees began to sprout from the roof and grow at an unreal pace.

Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kotan (Birth of the forest)

Tobirama dashed forward, dodging the branches and trees from the ground, and engaging Naruto in hand to hand combat. He sent a whirlwind of kicks that were parried by Naruto. The blonde struggled under the weight of each kick, feeling his arms and legs bruise under the constant battering.

Minato was also caught in a taijutsu battle with Hashirama, faring well on his own. Hashirama suddenly cocked his fist back, providing the opening Minato needed. The Shodaime punched forward, sending his weight into the punch. Minato dodged to the side and slapped the seal onto Hashirama's ribs while sending a burst of chakra, causing Hashirama to fly towards the tree. The black ink started to spread out, branching towards his arms, legs, and neck. Hashirama smiled as he closed his eyes.

"The leaf...is in good hands..." with that, Hashirama Senju was encased in a white light before dissolving into the air, a pile of ashes left in his place. Minato exhaled before looking at the fight between Naruto and Tobirama. Naruto was wincing as his hands went up to block the Nidaime's strikes. Naruto stumbled a bit as Tobirama sent a kick past his defense and into to his chest. Naruto gritted his teeth and got back up, shifting into stance. He suddenly felt his legs give way as he fell to his right knee. Panting, he looked up to see the Nidaime slowly walking towards him.

_This is bad. I don't have the seal! Where's Tou-san when you need him!_

Tobirama was a few meters away from the jounin before Minato flashed over in front of Naruto. Naruto let out a sigh and brought his hands to his ribs with a first aid medical ninjutsu. He could heal himself now that his dad would take care of the other Hokage. He had to be in top shape to fight Orochimaru, who was, no doubt, probably hiding somewhere within the barrier.

Minato shifted into stance and sprang forward. Tobirama met him halfway, blocking the series of strikes Minato sent his way. He found an opening and sent a roundhouse kick to Minato's head. The blonde blocked it with his hand, pushing the foot away. Tobirama's eyes went wide as he heard the sound of paper. Minato had placed the paper seal as he was blocking the kick, now successfully sealing away the second Hokage. Tobirama close his eyes and waited for the seal to act as the ink spread through his body.

"You did well, Yondaime."

The light encased him and his ashes fell to the floor. Minato sighed and turned to Naruto, who was now healed and ready to fight.

"Naruto-"

Suddenly, Minato's and Naruto's eyes widened as a large pulse of chakra was felt and a roar was heard. Naruto flinched and looked in the direction of the ring to see the Shukaku ripping out of the stone barrier he made.

"I sealed him- how-"

"Naruto- I'll get the Shukaku. Hold Orochimaru off before I come back." Minato ordered.

Naruto nodded. "I placed one of your markers outside of the barrier, you should feel it"

Minato paused before nodding. Naruto mocked salute while Minato flashed away. He then turned to the battlefield inside the barrier, the water died down and the wooden forest creaked with the wind. Everything was still. Naruto shifted forward.

"Orochimaru...I know you're there."

"Aren't you an interesting one...Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, Prodigy of Konoha, Shinobi no Inari, the Second coming of the Yellow flash, or should I dare say, the _third Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi._"

Naruto growled as Orochimaru made his appearance, stepping out from behind a large tree root.

"Though I do warn you, Naruto-kun, an A ranked Ninja like yourself can't hold a candle to an S ranked like me."

Naruto's eyes steeled, mouth in a firm line.

"Eat shit." He growled. Orochimaru's sick smile dropped before turning into a malicious grin.

"Have it your way, Inari boy"

Orochimaru charged.

* * *

An:/ SO...How was it? I thought it was a pretty good chapter. The Namikaze versus the Senju. I put the jutsu translation next to it because I figured those who don't understand japanese would want to understand the jutsu name...in case google translate sucks. I put in the jutsus last so if I missed one, tell me so I can reupdate the chapter (I try to proof read but even my own proof reading can skip a few mistakes...) I had to watch the match between Hiruzen and Orochimaru again in order to imagine this fight but the hour and a half of watching was worth it. I watched that match years ago and almost forgot how badly Hiruzen was crushed. It was kind of sad how easily defeated Hiruzen was. Tobirama and Hashirama practically owned him in taijutsu, kicking the old man around and then in ninjutsu with the whole forest and water (I wasn't imagining things when I said that Tobirama practically made a sea on the roof). The fact that Hiruzen had to resort to shiki fuuin the end was a bit weird too so I had Minato use one of his seals in that place because I figured that Hiruzen wouldn't know as much fuuinjutsu as Minato did. Anyways, Orochimaru versus Naruto next chapter, another epic fight for another chapter. I have a three day weekend so...Typing marathon!  
Review Responses:

demonic hellfire: I was actually going to fail him...but now that you want him to pass, I'll pass him.

Blair27: I bursted out laughing when I read that. Sorry...you know who I mean, B and N are so close on the keyboard and I was writing this on my phone...excuse my overly large thumbs /

Zatheko: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it then!

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: Itachi's story will come soon. As for training, yeah...I figured the Uchiha would be mad but I kinda toned down their hate now that they're only a fraction if what they used to be (all will be explained when I explain Itachi)

Tsuukiyomi: quite the sharp one, aren't you...shhhhh

avengeme: sadly, some of that won't come true (yeah, I know, sad but true) but fear not! Orochimaru will get the ass kicking he deserves!

Battle neurosis: Of courseeee!

tokiluv: well as you can see...I spared Minato of the horrible fate, "I'm a merciful god" as I'd like to quote. Haha

Fan Fan 92555: Ah yes, disregard the authorities indeed. Quite the motto that, I too, live by. I'll check out the stories if I have the time, they seem interesting enough.

SakuraFairy1990: My chapter didn't disappoint, did it? Besides, Minato doesn't need protecting! He's the Hokage! Hahaha. And Orochimaru's fear is kinda justified...funny nonetheless.

Kikuxxx: I'm glad you started my story! Hopefully you'll reach this chapter in time to read my response to your review. Thanks for reading the first chapter and keep on reading!

.969: I wish it was real too, I wish it was... . Thanks for reading my story

The Keeper of Worlds: thanky \\\

xdevil-childx: hope you liked the chapter! Wait for the next installment!

Doomslayer10000: heehee, thanky! ^w^

MaybeMightMayso: The females litter confetti out the bedroom window? That's a new one...btw, I'm lovin' your names.

Guest: get an account! Lol, I'll hold you to your word, because I'm not stopping anytime soon! I'm glad you like my story!

Ethyrin Kairos: ah yes, I see that too. I'm trying to tone him down a bit, and I did say I wouldn't make him god like...next chapter, I guess, you'll see me tone Naruto down a lot. Keep reading though! Don't lose hope! I have some form of development in the sequel (which I am already currently writing) so hopefully it won't be so bad!

Damon Furey: PM response: Oh, I made the connection, but I'd rather put that behind us, right? And though I'm a girl, I'll take the bro fist XD it's fine if you don't read the story when it first comes out, it's cool. Besides,Kindles are pretty cool. I figured as much about Taka but I'm being cautious now, if that makes sense.

Alright! That was chapter 30! I hoped you all loved reading it as much as I loved writing it and the next chapter will be the same. Up next! Orochimaru versus Naruto! (I'm already creating a new Jutsu for Naruto, hope y'all will like it!)  
See ya!

* * *

**WARNING:** I might be going around, reuploading chapters that I feel sucked...Ya know, editing them, perhaps adding more detail. So if you don't want to read them, that's cool, just ignore the updates. This renovation period will probably end in a couple months or so.

**ANOTHER PIECE OF SEMI-IMPORTANT INFORMATION:** I actually made several versions of this chapter (hell yeah to proofreading) And in one version (or rather, the very first edition), I made a really snarky Minato fight Orochimaru, all including bad jokes and pissed off attitudes. Think of it as a limited edition, but I'll be uploading that version as a separate story (I thought it was slightly funny) so you guys can read that version where I made Minato ooc. When I say limited edition, I mean, In exactly one month, I'll take the limited version down. Think of it as a present for following this story so diligently. It will be on my profile, listed as **The Namikaze Legend Limited Edition Omake: M vs O.** So if you want to read it, go for it!

Alright, now Bya!


	31. Chapter 31

An:/ Can I hug you all, you fluffy and adorable bunnies? And by bunnies, I mean my readers, reviewers, favorite-ers, and followers. You are all the best and I feel so lucky to have you all as my sexy beast readers (nobody uses sexy beast anymore, do they?) I feel like twirling in joy every time I receive an email saying someone reviewed, favorited, or followed my sexy story. I'm probably on a sugar rush when writing this but my feelings hold true. My motivation shoots through the roof every time I see a review and I cherish every single reader (even you haters out there hahaha) you are the sun to my shine and now I'm just spewing nonsense. Alright, 100,000+ views in roughly 3-4 months? I didn't even see that one coming! So for that, I dedicate this chapter to you readers, just like all my other chapters are for you. Keep in mind that if it wasn't for you, I would have never made it and this story would have died off at chapter 1.

So, for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, blame it on my sugar high. I guess the correct term for me would be that I'm 'lightweight' when it comes to sweets and sugar. My thumbs will be rapidly typing away on my phone and I probably won't look back at what autocorrect has in store for me until it's too late.

On a completely separate note...I'm so bored. Recommend me some stories to readddd! They don't have to be yours, but if you want me to read your stories or something, I'll go read them. Anyways. Y'all will probably kill me by the time this chapter is done and read, but I'll have to take a rain check on my death because I need to update the next chapter, don't I? Hahaha...but seriously...don't kill me. Er, just reminding you that there's the limited edition out, and I'll be renovating this story (haven't made any yet).

**WARNING**! TODAY'S CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE _**REALLY SHORT.**_..AND YOU'LL SEE WHY.

* * *

Alright, review responses:

tokiluv: Always welcome. Aerotyl at your service.

xdevil-childx: Haha, oh no you don't...well, you do...but-just read...hahaha

The Keeper of Worlds: Hahahahahahahahaha...ha?

Damon Furey: Awww, thanky! Brofist and heart (I feel like fanfiction isn't letting anyone do the heart emocon...those stupid idiots) back atcha!

Tsuukiyomi: And it's a record at three! Don't worry about documenting it, as long as you review, I respond! I'm even starting to get a hang at writing your pen name without looking!

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Thanks! Quick question: What inspired the creation of your pen name? It's very unique and I couldn't help but feel intrigued by its background...

blair27: HOLY CRAP! OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU! MMMM BOOKMARKED, TABBED, FOREVER STORED IN MY MEMORY!

SakuraFairy1990: Haha, I understand those feelings...thus only a three day wait!

Zatheko: Thank you! Teehee, I'm glad my hard work was worth it!

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: Ah yes, things are picking up the pace, aren't they! Gaara's future...is unknown at the moment, but I will think about it.

Showtime09: Thank you! Yes, I tried to keep their awesome personalities this time (the first time around they were like stone, no emotion :P) I personally love the first's personality and I wished to see it more so I included it in my story!

Battle neurosis: Ohohohoho- you don't know how correct you are, my friend. Close...but no cigar...

vidkhusul: Thank you! Will do! (So I won't keep my readers' panties in a twist, lol)

serialkeller: My, what interesting pen name you have there. I almost read it wrong...Er, you bring up some major points that I have a dire need to address. Yes, I totally agree that Naruto is just...over the top. I really didn't mean to do so, but the need to make every fight epic and have Naruto live up to the "Namikaze Legend" overruled my thinking as a writer. And sadly, I pay dearly for it because now Naruto has little to no room to improve (Oh but he will improve). But Sasuke getting the cursed seal has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Naruto is now a jounin. I think you're misinterpreting an author's free reign of creativity. If I want Sasuke to get the cursed seal, then so be it. It's my story, therefore whatever I right in this story, is law in this story. Teehee, I feel powerful somehow...Anyways, jokes aside. If you read this chapter or the previous chapter (I hope you reach there in time, because you're only at chapter 18) You'll understand why Minato couldn't just flash wherever. There is a distance limit before they need to use the sealed kunai. NaruSaku? Well, let's say I was in a Narusaku mood and decided, "To hell with it! Let's pair 'em together!" but as you can see..due to my lack of relationship skill...Naruto and Sakura have yet to advance from their teacher-student relationship (curse my noob-ness) and CRA...doesn't exist...not in this story, not in any of my stories, hell, not even the series itself. I don't believe in having a harem...I believe I have specified that this is strictly Narusaku (hate to disappoint the Naruhina (which I'm sure is happening whether we like it or not, watch the Naruto SD eps)) Alright...that was a long response. And I hope I didn't come off as condescending. You had pointed out some very accurate faults that I missed..(curse my noob-ness again) I hope you continue reading my story though! Wow that was incredible long...

Guest: Geez! Get an account! Hahaha! btw, of all seriousness and my curiosity, what does "Supert" mean? It's in all of the previous reviews that have said "supert story" and I'm starting to think it's a real word..is it? PLEASE TELL ME~! You know what they say, right? Curiosity killed the cat...and I can't help but think I'm a cat lady...So satisfy my curiosity before I die~! *wails*

Onto one of the shortest chapters in the entire story...

* * *

Orochimaru charged, hand shooting out at the blonde. A snake sprang forth from his sleeve. Naruto dodged to the side and pulls at the snake's neck, causing the Sannin to lurch forward. Naruto used his momentum to cock his fist back and punch the Sannin straight across the jaw. But he didn't relent as he sent a series of rapid kicks to the Sannin's midsection.

A few snaps were heard as ribs were broken. But it wasn't Orochimaru's ribs that broke. Naruto gasped as a foot was lodged in his side from behind. He took a glance to see Orochimaru smirking just in time before he was launched to the side. The Orochimaru he had laid assault to melted to the ground in mud.

Naruto slowly got up and cradled his side, his hand glowing green as he applied first aid. He spat a little blood out to the side, but didn't keep his eyes of the Sannin. He had an odd feeling as he felt his gut wrench. He couldn't help but feel that he was missing something really important.

He shook off the feeling and unsealed his sword again and unsheathed it; the sheath sealed back into the scroll. Orochimaru took out a kunai and shifted into stance. Naruto dashed forward, blade posed to strike. Orochimaru dodged and parried as Naruto violently slashed at the Orochimaru, searching for a gap in the Sannin's defense.

Orochimaru grabbed his blade with his bare hands and ripped it out of the jounin's hands. Orochimaru kicked Naruto away with a swift kick and began to weave through hand seals with his hands covered in blood.

Kuchiyose no Jutsu!

Naruto immediately recovered and threw his hiraishin kunai.

Kunai kage bunshin no Jutsu!

Just as the rain of kunai pelted over the grounds, a large snake poofed into existence. It wasn't the boss summon, but definitely a summon to be reckoned with. Naruto quickly eyed for his sword and found it in the wreckage of roof tiles from where the snake landed. Naruto also noticed that Orochimaru had disappeared but didn't have time to look for him as the snake lunged.

"Shit..." Naruto muttered. He dodged the constant strikes that the snake lashed out at him. He whipped around and did the same thing he did back in the forest of death, punch the living daylights out of the snake.

The snake scrunched up, vibrating from the sheer power of the punch. A large crack was heard as the snake's skull cracked under the pressure. A few moments later, the snake was reverse summoned and Naruto whipped around to meet the bad end of a katon Jutsu.

Katon: Tsuin Fushichou Hinoiki (Twin Phoenix Fire breath)

Naruto was caught in the blast but managed to get away with only a few burns. His jounin vest definitely looked like it had better days as he took off the burnt-to-a-crisp flak jacket. His chest was now free of the weight of the jacket. He lifted his fingers up and formed a ram seal.

Kai!

The training weight seals were lifted and the chakra storage seals were also released. Not that he really needed chakra storage with his immense reserves but a storage with medical chakra was definitely something he needed. The chakra storage was filled with Rei's medical ninjutsu chakra which she had charged up the other day. Naruto felt the cool rush of foreign chakra through his blood stream and watched as his burns started to heal along with the kyuubi chakra. His ribs popped back into place. He would have to be careful from now one, because that was a one shot Jutsu.

"I see your injuries have healed. That's no fun." Orochimaru taunted.

Naruto's eyes hardened as he looked on to the Sannin. He started to weave through his own set of handseals.

Douton: Kaze Kakusei Sajin Arashi (Wind waking dust storm)

Naruto puffed out his chest before spewing out a large cloud of dust. Orochimaru was engulfed in the dust cloud but remained unfazed. He sensed the blonde attack and quickly deflected it with a kunai. The blonde continue to attack as Orochimaru blindly but easily blocked and countered. Orochimaru lazily combed his hand through his air as the dust cloud began to settle, leaving the two facing each other. Naruto was breathing heavily, form slouched over as the boy tried to recover from his attack earlier.

Orochimaru shot a snake out of his sleeve and watched as the serpent wrap itself around Naruto's neck. The boy let out a strangle before suddenly popping into thin air. Orochimaru flinched just as five clones jumped out of the ground, surrounding the Sannin in a circle. Each clone weaved through its own set of hand seals.

Katon: Gouryuuka no jutsu (Great Dragon Fire technique)

Fuuton: Ryuujin Rasengan (Dragon Blade Rasengan) (an:/ it's from the games)

Douton: Dosekiryuu (Earth and Stone Dragon)

Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu (Water dragon bullet technique

Raiton: Rairyuu no Tatsumaki (Lightning Dragon Tornado)

The clones then chanted one last Jutsu.

Ryuu no Mai! (Dance of the Dragons)

From each clone, an elemental dragon manifested and began to swirl around the circumference of the circle, slowly accelerating and shrinking the circle they surrounded. All five clones popped as the five dragons closed in on the Sannin. Suddenly, Orochimaru was hit as the earth dragon shot out of the formation and hit the Sannin before returning to the whirl of dragons. The next was the fire dragon as it shot fireball after fireball. The Sannin side-stepped each one and waited for the next dragon. The water dragon sprayed water all over the ground. Orochimaru flinched and tried to escape as the lightning dragon crashed into the water puddle, causing crackling water to spray everywhere. The last dragon, the wind dragon, was barely noticeable as Orochimaru suddenly felt his chest cut itself open. A few more cuts appeared when Orochimaru finally felt the breeze the wind dragon caused. When it was all over, the five dragons crashed into Orochimaru, shaking the very foundations of the arena.

Naruto smirked in triumph and walked over to his katana. He picked it up and flicked off the blood and dirt that the blade was riddled with. Naruto's eyes went wide as he felt a burst of chakra and instantly lifted his blade to block and oncoming attack. He turned around to see Orochimaru spitting a blade out of his mouth.

The Sword of Kusanagi.

Naruto's gaze steeled as he posed his sword, ready for Orochimaru's incoming attacks.

* * *

Minato placed the final seal on Gaara and watched as the Shukaku was securely sealed away in the redhead. Minato patted his robes off and turned to the purple box up in the Kage's stand, ready to flash in and help his son. Suddenly, Minato felt a gut wrenching feeling with a rush of panic that fell over him when he realized his mistake. Minato had taken the one hiraishin kunai he placed in the barrier, the rest dispelling from the kage bunshin Jutsu. The man had left without a marker inside the barrier, leaving his son inside all by himself. Minato's wide eyes focused on the box, hearing the light clangs of metal and couldn't help but feel a dark forebodement wash over him.

* * *

Orochimaru looked on towards the blonde in front of him. Namikaze Naruto. A very important character for the future. Orochimaru could tell that whatever is going to happen in the next decade, Naruto would be the center of it, whether the boy planned on it or not. Orochimaru bit the inside of his mouth as he watched the boy fought his clone. Another once-in-a-generation prodigy. Miraculously, that once-in-a-generation prodigy title remained in the family of Namikaze for two generations. It wouldn't be a surprise if it went for a third generation. Orochimaru grinned as he felt his clone dispel in a pool of mud.

* * *

Naruto panted as he watched Orochimaru's clone dispel into mud. He dropped his sword into the ground and leaned his weight on the hilt. He felt the cuts he received from the Kusanagi blade burn. The superficial wounds sizzled, like a thousand paper cuts littered his skin. Naruto winced and tried to shake the feeling off as the kyuubi took care of the healing. He lifted his head a little to watch Orochimaru reappear in the clearing. _Probably just another mud clone._

"So, Orochimaru. May I ask...why are you trying to acquire the Sharingan? Why do you want Sasuke when there is a whole clan to pick from?"

Naruto watched as Orochimaru let out a sick chuckle before approaching a little.

"I need the Sharingan...for its benefits..."

"You do realize that a Sharingan in a non-Uchiha blood will drain chakra faster than you can spell out your name. The only reason Hatake Kakashi can survive _one_ is because there is _only_ one and his Hatake chakra is very potent."

"Ku-ku-ku, that's why I plan to take over Sasuke-kun's body. Blood and eyes."

Naruto let a growl rip through his throat as he straightened up.

"And why are you willing to kidnap the heir of the Uchihas? You could have picked any other Uchiha."

"I don't know if you know this, Naruto-kun, but Sasuke's Sharingan has the most potential out of all the Sharingan in existence. It even rivals, or will rival, the Sharingan of the very founder, Uchiha Madara."

"And you need this potential...because?"

"To learn all the Jutsus in the entire world! Imagine! An immortal body with the ability to copy any ninjutsu with the legendary doujutsu, the Sharingan! The possibilities are endless!"

Naruto slipped a little on the sword but quickly straightened up.

"What's the point in learning all the Jutsus if you can't use them for what they are worth. Your ambition will only continue to grow and consume you. You will never be satisfied until you realize your hands are dirtied by the path you had taken, until it's too late."

"Ku-ku-ku, what gives a little twelve year old like yourself the right to lecture me on my ambitions. You haven't been on this planet for even a fraction of my time in this cursed place. It's a real shame though, that you won't live past the ripe age of twelve. Your time ends here."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he pulled the katana out of the ground and shifted into stance as the Sannin charged in with his own blade.

* * *

A whole new list of wounds was added after Naruto cut down the mud clone. After a few katon jutsus Orochimaru threw at him, Naruto's arms were covered in burns, the smell of charred skin made Naruto almost hurl. He felt his legs scorched from the overuse and him constantly pumping chakra into them for an extra boost. The match would only last so long and Naruto was already tired from fighting two Hokages and a jinchuuriki. His eyelids felt heavy as he resisted the urge to fall asleep and nap the pain away. _I could hibernate for a whole year if I wanted to, right now._ (An:/ Ditto, Naruto. Those feels...)

Naruto watched as another Orochimaru stepped out to the clearing. He scoffed.

"Dammit, I thought the Sannin was more than a coward; constantly sending off mud clones to do his bidding. Can't the grown man face a twelve year old himself? Come out, Orochimaru. I won't bite." Naruto sneered as he chuckled dryly a the last part.

"If you really want it, why not..." Orochimaru smirked, sticking out his long tongue, "-just don't go running to mummy when I'm through with you."

Orochimaru melted to the floor and another Orochimaru stepped out from where the previous one came from.

"You have a lot of nerve calling me out specifically. I won't be as easy as the mud clones, you know, Naruto-kun."

"Does it look like I give a rat's ass? Quit being a coward and fight me like a real shinobi would." Naruto growled, his sword posed.

"You asked for it..." Orochimaru trailed off as he pounced forward.

* * *

Naruto slashed at the Sannin, only to be covered in mud. Naruto's eyes went wide as his head twitched from side to side, taking in his surroundings. Left, right, behind? Where? Suddenly he flinched and jumped to move back, but it was too late as a blade shot out of the ground and pierced Naruto through the stomach. The blade continued to lengthen as Naruto was now suspended high off the ground.

Naruto let go of his sword as he groaned and grabbed the blade in his stomach to relieve himself of the sharp pain tearing through his abdomen. He elicited a choke before he coughed up blood. His body became heavy as he felt his arms give way. Suddenly, the blade dumped him to the ground. He didn't have enough energy to land properly, limply slumped on the ground. He struggled to prop himself up but his arms were shaking, the burns etched across his skin felt ablazed. One hand grasped his bleeding wound as he struggled to look up to the Sannin who was approaching him.

Orochimaru smirked as he approached the blonde, sword at hand.

"This was rather disappointing, Namikaze Naruto. I expected something more...entertaining. But I guess, if I can't get the father, why not kill the son." Orochimaru's tongue licked his upper lip as the glint in the Sannin's eyes sheened.

"Y-you're not getting...away." Naruto gasped.

"You're right, I'm not getting away... not until you're dead."

**Kit, you have to move, something!**

_I'm trying, Kurama...I'm trying..._

**Kit, please! You'll die!**

Naruto shifted around on the ground, slowly getting up. He let out a yell of pain as Orochimaru appeared next to him and skewered him to the ground with his blade. Naruto's shoulder was dislocated as the blade held him down.

Naruto winced as he tried to keep the pain to himself. But to no avail as his eyes shut close and he gritted his teeth, the small whimper escaping from his teeth.

"Oh-ho, the great _Shinobi no Inar_i whimper by my hands. Quite a sight to see. It's quite a shock that this is what my Sensei died for. Quite..._disappointing_."

Naruto felt his gut wrench at the sound of it. He didn't know why, but the sound of disappointment made Naruto's stomach drop. Why did the Sannin's words affect him so much?

"I don't give...a shit what you think" Naruto growled, clamping his teeth in agony .

_Everyone..._

Orochimaru rammed his foot into Naruto's head, planting Naruto's face into the hard tiled roof. Orochimaru's foot grounded into his face as Naruto's face began to cut from the sharp tiles.

Naruto let out a groan of pain but kept quiet other than that. Orochimaru violently pulled out the sword and watched as Naruto didn't move, not even a twitch.

_...I'm sorry_

Orochimaru smiled and drove the blade through Naruto's body, right through the chest.

A couple seconds later, Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto's heart stopped beating.

* * *

An:/ teehee?


	32. Chapter 32

An:/ I bet...you did not see that coming...at all...did ya?! Hahahahaa. Perhaps, I should keep Naruto dead...I'm evil aren't I...I personally felt evil when writing that chapter...pure evil...like I beat Uchiha Madara evil...yeah, that evil...and I couldn't help but let out an evil chuckle every time I read a review..."muahahahahaha" over and over... Hell, all the antagonists in the world would probably hail me as the king (or queen if you want to get technical) of all evilness after what I have done, and will be doing...call me bitch but I gotta say, I love me some plot twists ku-ku-ku-ku-ku~!

Anyways...über fast update! I know, I know. I'm so kind that I didn't leave you on the edge of your seat for too long. I don't think you guys would appreciate me taking my streak of sadistic pleasure from reading your reviews of how you don't want Naruto to die. I will quote once again (because it applies perfectly in so many ways..) "I am a merciful god" ergo my fast update to you all.

The format of this chapter is a bit weird due to the circumstances of the character.** Bold** letters is when the two consciousness are talking at the same time (you'll see what I mean later) and there won't be any quotation marks to separate speech in the void so I'll leave it to you to interpret what is said aloud and what is not (though there isn't much room for interpretation)_ italics_ are a consciousness's thoughts. And...that's it.

On another note, I've been seeing this thing around..but apparently...you need a disclaimer...(dafaq?) Alright, let's get this over with... here's mine (since I don't want this awesome thing to be taken away) I don't own the series of Naruto (though, I wish I do) however I do own a handful of characters and probably some of the personalities of the characters...so really all you big shots own is the name the place and I guess a bit of the plot...but not anymore...REBELLL but seriously...I don't own Naruto. This disclaimer will apply to the previous chapters, this chapter, and future chapters...and that is the end of my disclaimer... carry on...

* * *

_It takes...two minutes...for a brain to die after the heart stops...two minutes of this pain...before it's all over..._

* * *

2 minutes...

* * *

It hurts...

My chest...

My heart...

The pain...it's too much...

Make it stop...

Take anything...

Just stop the pain...

Just take it...

_Take what?_

...

_...Your life?_

* * *

Kushina let out a blood curdling scream as several chakra chains shot out of her body and wrapped themselves around the purple barrier. Minato's head snapped in her direction and felt his heart drop when he heard her scream again.

"NARUTO!"

He immediately tried sensing the chakra in the stadium, desperately trying to search for the one chakra signature he had to find. Knees weak, the sharp pain in his stomach as if he was just punched, a sharp intake of breath; that was all that was needed to take one of the greatest shinobi of all time to his knees as his cerulean eyes went wide at the lack of chakra signature. Rather, instead of lack, he was able to sense the last flutter of wavering chakra, the last moment of his one and only son. He was able to witness the last heartbeat of his pride, his legacy, his twelve years of painstakingly _enjoyable_ fatherhood. Gone. Just like that. He clenched his teeth and let out a bellow as he furiously weaved through hand seals and called out a large fuuin.

"NARUTO!"

The ground began to shake as the earth rose in the shape of golems. They stood erect and their eyes began to glow yellow before they lethargically made their way to the barrier. They mechanically raised their hands before crashing into the barrier. The purple prison didn't give way as it remained intact. Minato flashed over with a Rasengan at the get go, crashing the technique furiously into the opaque wall. He let out several punches as a growl escaped his lips.

His frustration, his fury, his agony, a god's wrath.

Namikaze Minato was in a world of agonizing torment.

* * *

One minute...30 seconds...

* * *

Orochimaru let out a full out laugh as he watched the once tense body of Namikaze Naruto go limp. He twisted the blade for good measure and plucked it out, watching the pool of ruby stain the yellow roof, expanding like an ocean. He turned outside to see Minato furiously banging into the barrier, despairingly trying to break it down. His redheaded wife was at the other side, attempting the same thing. Their futile endeavors, however, were all in vain. Orochimaru let out another laugh, unbelieving at how luck played right into his hands. It was sheer pricelessness when Minato forgot to tag the inside of the barrier, when Naruto decided to fight him on his own, when Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to sacrifice his life for a little blonde boy.

He turned and kicked the boy's body onto his side, revealing a pair of empty blue, once brimming with mischievousness, sarcasm, knowledge. It was gone now, the light blew out like a candle. The life of a gust of wind, there for an ephemeral moment, before never coming back. The evanescence of the boy's life held some form of beauty that Orochimaru couldn't help but relish; Watching as Namikaze Minato was essentially pleading at his feet.

"Good bye, Namikaze Naruto."

Orochimaru turned to walk away.

* * *

One minute...

* * *

The pain...

Naruto's eyes snapped open but instantly closed at the blinding white light. He fluttered them open this time, taking in his surroundings, or lack of surroundings. The pure white surrounded him as he stood in the middle of a void.

Where...where am I?

What...

Who...who am I?

Oh yeah, Naruto...

Naruto looked at his hands and couldn't help but feel slightly naked. The vulnerability he felt, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling, he understood, that was something he could crave and bask in. He gripped the temples of his head as he crouched down into a fetal position.

What am I?

Why am I here?

The questions would multiply but the answers would escape his tongue, unable to leave his mouth in the form of sound.

_Is that it?_

...

_Are you just going to stand there? _

Who's there?

_Who else?_

Who?

_I am you?_

Me?

_You._

You.

_That's right...I am you._

Why...

Why...

**are...**

**you...**

**me?**

Naruto snapped his head up and saw someone in front of him, in the same fetal position. He took in the sight of the tuft of blonde hair on the boy. The boy was small, probably the same age as him. The pale skin almost blended with the white of the empty space. He got up and walked over to the boy. He placed his hand on him and shook a little to get his attention. He waited as the boy's head slowly rose. Naruto stumbled back as he was met with nothing. The boy's face was completely gone save for two black almond shaped holes for eyes. The depth and darkness reflected in the pair struck Naruto down to the core.

Who...who are you?

_I am you?_

* * *

45 seconds...

* * *

Minato leaned his weight against the purple and slid down. His face his under the shadow of his bangs, his fist balled up as they weakly pounded against the barrier with the remaining strength he had left. This couldn't be the end. It just couldn't be. The blood began to drain from his ever beating heart as his heart strings tugged with fervor. His eyes filled with sorrow as he couldn't feel his son's warm chakra anymore. The cold took over, solidifying his fears and horrors into reality.

Naruto was gone.

* * *

20 seconds...

* * *

You're not gonna just sit there all day, are ya?

Naruto's attention snapped away from the faceless child and turned to see an old man in red and white robes. Atop his hat read the kanji for fire. The man's goatee was short and pointed and Naruto couldn't help but notice the three odd wrinkles on both of the man's eyes, eyes that were filled with warmth he lacked, acceptance he craved, knowledge he envied, and life he didn't have.

Who...are you?

The man let out a hearty chuckle, a chuckle that could brighten anyone's day.

Me? I'm the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen...What's your name, boy?

Shinobi no Inari...I think

You think? Bahahahaha! How can you not know your own name, boy? Is that your name?

I...I don't know.

Hiruzen gave the boy a smile and pulled out a pipe.

Do you know where you are, boy?

I...I don't know...

Do you know anything, boy?

I...don't know...

Hiruzen looked at the faceless boy on the floor beside Naruto. He clicked his tongue and looked away in disgust.

Get up, boy. You won't find good company with that thing. It's a harbinger of impurity and death.

Naruto looked over to the boy next to him and fell upon the empty gaze again. Naruto suppressed a shiver at the intent gaze and shuffled back, quickly turning to the old man.

S-Sandaime-sama...why are you here?

Why so many questions, boy?

I just...want to know the truth.

The truth... isn't always meant to be sought out.

Then why are you here?

...

Naruto scrunched his nose and looked intently at the old man's back as he walked away.

Jiji! Answer me!

Hiruzen's eyes widened for a split second before softening. He turned around to face Naruto and gave a smile.

What is it, boy?

Where am I?

Hiruzen smiled before pausing a moment.

Where are you?

...

The line between life and death. The gate, as they call it.

He pointed behind Naruto. Naruto turned to see where the man was pointing to and was met with a large temple gate.

Wha- that wasn't there before! Where? Where's the boy?

Hiruzen chuckled and watched as the boy fumble around, swirling in circles, expecting the gate to disappear just as it came. But his smile dropped in a frown. The gates were always as close as death was to the person. If it wasn't disappearing, then Naruto's fate may be too close for comfort.

Boy, come here.

Naruto's attention snapped up and he made his way to the old man, not noticing how his body had managed to shrink, now taking on the appearance of a toddler. Naruto's small hands grasped around the hem of Hiruzen's robes as his big blue eyes looked up expectantly.

Listen, boy. Your hourglass is slowly draining and each grain of sand is already in motion. Listen carefully to what I am about to say...

* * *

Orochimaru walked over to the edge if the barrier, right in front of where Minato knelt. Minato felt the foul chakra on the other side of the barrier but didn't bother looking up, keeping his head down where his expression of sadness and sorrow was best hidden.

"Why..." He whispered.

"..."

"Why..." Minato repeated, feeling the snake grin on the other side.

_Why?_

* * *

5 seconds...

* * *

Understand, boy?

Naruto shook his head. The old man's mouth was moving and sound was coming out, but his comprehension of what the man was saying was slipping his mind. His eyesight was slowly blurring. His eyelids feel heavy. What was he going to do again? Sleep? Sleep sounds good right about now...

Boy! Snap out of it!

Naruto's eyes snapped open at the sound of a harsh demand. He immediately saluted in the presence of a Hokage like any ANBU would. When he realized where he was, he blushed and shot his hand down. Hiruzen chuckled.

Listen, boy-

Quit calling me 'boy'!

My name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto- dattebayo! I'm going to be the best Hokage out there! And Hokages aren't called 'boy'!

Naruto's childish voice echoed from the blurred rant, a speech tick he hadn't heard from in a long time. Hiruzen let out a hearty laugh, the sound ringing in the ever empty space.

You finally remembered your name, I see. That's good... Then, my job here...is done. It's been a pleasure, Naruto-kun. I know, you will someday be an excellent Hokage...May we meet again, in another life.

Hiruzen close his eyes and felt the last moments as Naruto's presence began to fade.

* * *

0 seconds...

* * *

Orochimaru started walking towards Naruto again, ready to seal the body away for further experimentation and perhaps collect bounty. The Shinobi no Inari had quite the number on his little blonde head and it would be a shame to not collect what was rightfully his. He pulled his kusanagi from the ground and was ready to decapitate the boy before Minato let out a roar.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM, YOU VILE SNAKE BASTARD! LAY ONE FINGER ON HIM AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT NOT EVEN THE SHINIGAMI WOULD TAKE YOU IN!"

Orochimaru turned to see Minato somehow glaring directly at him. Minato didn't have to see to know what was going on. When the snake's chakra signature was approaching the remnants of Naruto's chakra, there would only be one reason why the Sannin would even approach the body. Bounty collection.

Orochimaru smirked and, without a taking his eyes off of Minato's figure, he let the blade drop between the juncture of the Boy's head and shoulders. Orochimaru's smirk dropped when he heard the sound of metal shattering. He looked down to see the kusanagi shattering into little pieces like glass on concrete, the shards raining on the blonde boy. The boy's neck didn't have much of a scratch in it and the blade shattered before it touched skin. Orochimaru flinched when he suddenly felt very heavy. His knees felt weak as he struggled to remain standing. He use the last of his strength to jump out of the premises of Naruto's body. He watched in absolute shock when the boy's body began to shake and quiver ever so slightly, the roof around him began to give way as the weight of the hair became heavy. Circular trenches began to form around Naruto as the boy slowly propped his arm up, attempting to support the rest of his body on that one limb. The boy's head snapped up and Orochimaru was met with a pair of red, slitted eyes. The boy maliciously grinned, hatred and vileness radiating off the boy in waves. Orochimaru could barely hide the shiver in his muscles, the fear coursing through his veins.

_Namikaze Naruto-_

The boy's skin began to bubble as it peeled away at certain places, blood floating to the surface of the chakra cloak and sizzling. Orochimaru took a tentative step back as the boy's skin started to peel away at a new accelerated rate. The blood started to coat the surface as the chakra cloak turned blood red. A dark ball of red chakra began to form around the boy, only releasing in a burst, revealing a four tailed jinchuuriki on all fours.

_Make that name..._

The four tail ripped out a growl and in the next 2 kilometer radius, the foul chakra felt twelve years ago, was felt again. Screams were heard from panicking Shinobi.

"KYUUBI!"

_...A legend._

* * *

An:/ well I did tell you not to kill me, otherwise I wouldn't be able to update and poor Naruto would be left for dead...but here ya go, me kinda being nice and freeing the kyuubi first before Naruto died...I know, I'm so kind. Praise me later...hahahahahahahahahahahahaha ah man. Well.

Summary of this chapter: I know the monologues seemed to make absolutely no sense...but hey, when did death ever make sense? Now my view of death may be different from your view so bare with me, yeah? Don't go on my reviews and start ranting about how the "gate" doesn't exist or isn't interpreted properly or I will take your review down. This is a fanfiction not a blog about religion (which I have high tolerance of so you keep your side of the bargain and I'll keep mine and respect your views) that's probably the only serious issue that may arise from this chapter other than the fact that I had resurrected Naruto and had him meet the Sandaime. DUNDUN DUNNNNNN...I know. It's pretty awesome. I have to say, the meeting with the sandaime and Naruto have a vague resemblance to the meeting with Dumbledore and Harry potter (You know which scene I'm talking about). The familiarities are strikingly similar and it was not meant to be like that. I just imagined that's how the meeting would be like and my friend pointed out (after reading this) that it was very similar..whoops.

I purposefully made the chapter slightly confusing and hard to follow to kind of mirror the confusion and panic that was occurring at the moment. -Bah, to hell with interpretations and reflections. This chapter is just about death and revival. No biggie. This ain't English class.

* * *

Now review responses:

Zatheko: muahaha, poor Naruto indeed

Tomoiki14467: he is too awesome to die...too bad lol *insert extremely evil laugh here*

Guest: harharharrr. I have every intention to bring him back...otherwise where would my sequel come in? He's not a legend yet!

The Keeper of Worlds: I figured the reference but the Japanese version he's all like "konoyaro, bakayaro!" So me just being stupid. Yes, lil' Gaki will live...I think

sitrukpc: I laughed so hard when I read your review. Gold.

Rosalie0601: No! Don't cry! I didn't mean to make it sad! I hope everything is better now...

Foxxel: Don't kill meeee! I'm too young to die! But yes, I killed him. Thank god authors don't get arrested and charged for murder for every character they killed. otherwise...I'd be screwed.

Rogue (Guest): I know...I know...Totes not cool

Perhea II: Nope, yolo doesn't apply to Naruto...teehee

SakuraFairy1990: It would be a crap ending and I would be a total asshole to let it end there...so fear not! Aerotyl to the rescue!

Get The Chillz: Awww, thank you! You have me blushing! I'm glad my cliffhangers are effective...now 45 seconds may seem a bit long so I hope 15 hours or so ain't so bad of a wait, amiright? NaruSaku will pick up most likely in the sequel...probably...no, most definitely. Thank you for reading!

foggraven: Where is the loveee! But I see where you stand and I know I would be a total fucktard (excuse my language) if I ended it here. And how right you are...

Guest: yes...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA 

Battle neurosis: Thankyyyy~! Awww sweet. These seem like pretty good stories and of course I'll read your story~! My grammar isn't that good either so don't worry. It's only because of SAT prep that I have writing that forms some resemblance to english, otherwise I'd be worst than a preschooler (true story: A little girl bested me at a little speech a few years back...it was embarrassing...the girl practically wiped the floor with my face with her excellent speaking skills...) I know I'm evil...obviously. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..but yeah, I don't think I could end Naruto that fast...

Guest: ARG! you killed the cat with curiosity! What does it mean! What does "supert" meannn!

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: That looks like a really interesting game...Sadly I don't have a ps2 (Nuuuu!) so I can't play it...but if I did, I would go check it out. perhaps an emulator will solve my problem. I hope that cookie isn't oatmeal raisin...because I LOVE OATMEAL RAISIN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAhA yeah...thanky!

avengeme: Hahaha, and nobody likes an angry Kushina...she's just down right terrifying

Showtime09: Thanky!

Tachibana Natsu: 3 ~3

Twinitech2: I feel honored! Please enjoy the rest of my story (and hopefully get to this chapter in time to read my special response to you! As long as you return to fanfiction, a year leave is all good. Now you gotta catch up on a year's worth of stories! Anyways! Keep on reading!

Doomslayer10000: Hahaha, I laughed at your review. You're all like "well if the main character dies, who cares! As long as the most awesome character in Naruto (my personal opinion) lives, I'm totes chill with Naruto gone!" Haha, I...kinda agree XD MINATO FTW

xdevil-childx: Well, here ya go! Chapter dedicated to you?

Zombienuat: Response to PM: Awww, sorry man, but I can't let Naruto do that (no time in my tight ass plot to do so) But, there is a story that has the same concept, it's called Last Resort by Naruxsakuluver where Naruto is buried for three years..and well, just read the story. I personally liked it and currently following it. But I hope my decision doesn't deter you from continuing to read my story!

Note to y'all: Well, It's roughly six months from now, but that sure as hell doesn't stop me from preparing. That's right, Otakon 2013 is in August...and I gotta prepare for it. Though my cosplay won't take long to make (or more like buy multiple parts and piece em together), I need to get my look together and hunt the articles of clothing down. This means that a majority of my time on the computer will be dedicated to surfing clothing sites for pieces I want instead of typing away at this awesome story. Fear not, though. I'll still be able to update, but it may come slowly since (surprisingly) this stuff is really hard to find. I just found the shoes part and it was all the way in sweden...teehee? Anyways. If you are also going to Otakon (Baltimore, MD), tell me what you're cosplaying as and I'll try to find you! Alright, that is the end of my note.

See ya


	33. Chapter 33

The roar was deafening as the whole stadium went silent. The foul chakra sent chills down spines of every man, woman, child. A man screamed.

"K-KYUUBI!"

Minato's head snapped up, eyes in horror at the chakra seeping out of the barrier. The kyuubi! His heart settled at the bottom of his stomach as he couldn't help but feel the dread weigh on him like wet clothes. His heart was heavy and the chill that ran through his bones was hard to ignore. He would always have to remember the day he lost a son and the kyuubi took over Konoha a second time. (1)

* * *

Orochimaru watched in shock as the humanoid fox stood on its two hind feet, baring its claws and teeth at the snake. _This isn't good_, Orochimaru thought. The fox's figure bulged and contorted as if it was exploding on the inside. When the contorsion died down, the fox went on all fours and let out a deep growl, steam escaping from the heat of his skin. There was a slight twitch in the fox before Orochimaru suddenly felt his upper half torn away from his lower half. He looked down just in time to see another four tails right in front of him, tearing his body in half with one hand. _Wha-?_

He looked up to the other fox and watched as the fox far away slowly began to dissolve into the air. _An...a-after image?! This...this isn't good at all..._

Orochimaru opened his mouth wide and gagged as two hands reach out from his throat and pried his mouth wider. The sickening crack of his jaw dislocating allowed the hand to extend to the arm until another Orochimaru's entire upper half was protruding out of the wide mouth of Orochimaru. He took his time to look at the fox a safe distance away, watching as the fox was also analyzing him. It was unnerving at the blank yet menacing stare the four tails gave. It's hollowed out eyes showed so much yet was empty, nothing in it.

"Aren't you just a little fox, Namikaze-kun..."

Suddenly, the rest of his body shot out of the skin of the previous Orochimaru, revealing a snake-like bottom half. Orochimaru sped through, closing the distance just before lashing a snake out of his sleeve. The snake coiled around the fox but a sizzling sound made Orochimaru flinch. He let go of the snake and leaned back just in time to dodge a hand swipe from the fox. Orochimaru didn't see the second hand of chakra forming from the elbow. The next thing the sannin knew, he was launched into the barrier with his face ablaze. His body crashed into the barrier, causing little fissures and cracks all along the barrier. The four nin at the corners winced under the pressure of keeping the barrier up.

"It's not going to make it!" A redheaded girl shouted.

"Just try keep it up!" The girl looked over to the burly man and gritted her teeth.

Orochimaru slumped to the ground after his body went limp.

* * *

Where...am I, now?  
Naruto opened his eyes to darkness, a small glow came from beneath him. He slowly got up and noticed he was floating in a pool of water, the bottom just as dark but a soft yellow glow at the surface. He slowly got up and noticed the shin deep water. It smelt of rotten fish and spoiled eggs.

Eww...

He moved his hand to cover his nose as he walked around the place. He kept walking forward to nowhere until he suddenly reached a wall. The concrete wall was cool and the stain of mold rode just above the level of the water that was constantly lapping against it. He turned and walked down the wall until he saw two lit torches far away. He began to make his way over until he was in front of a large gate with a decaying paper seal slapped on the center.

Hmm, it looks vaguely familiar...

Naruto noted the rusting bars that showed a yellow hue, signifying a once-golden- coat covered the enormous gate. It looked old and worn, like it's been abandoned for generations. He flinched when ashes fell on him. He looked up to see where the ashes were coming from and noticed the paper seal's edges were slightly ignited, browning and curling at an extremely slow pace.

That's odd...

He whirled around when he heard a low guttural growl.

What are you doing here...

Naruto squinted as a figure began to step into the light. He suddenly blurted out.

Where's the kyuubi?

Kyuubi? What was he talking about? Naruto was confused as to where that came from. What was a kyuubi? Why was he asking what a kyuubi was? Who was this person?

Kyuubi? Not here right now...My question is...why aren't you?

The figure stepped out of the light and Naruto flinched at the familiarity. A small blonde boy with no face stepped out. His black hollowed out eyes carried a sense of depravity in them.

Who are you?

The figure remained silent as Naruto watched him carefully.  
I should be outside fighting Orochimaru, where am I and who are you!  
Naruto was beginning to get frustrated at the boy's silence and out of confusion. Where was he getting these names? He called out.

Kurama!

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. Kurama?

He lurched forward and coughed up blood. He grasped the side of his ribs and felt something damp and warm underneath his jounin jacket. He held his hand out to the light, revealing a brownish color under the fire light.

Blood?

* * *

Orochimaru's head launched out of the ground as a Kusanagi blade pierced the fox in the side at an alarming speed. The fox shook it off as it let the blade extend, dragging it through the tiles. It suddenly latched on the sword and swiped it to the side, eliciting a crack from the Sannin's extended neck. The blade crashed into the barrier, causing the cracks to grow bigger.

Another orochimaru sprouted out of the ground. He stood up straight and watched as the fox snapped and growled.

"If only you could see yourself, Namikaze. What a monster, you've become."

The fox growled and suddenly, the tails whipped together and another tail came out. Five tails swished around the fox before each planting itself into the ground.

_What are you planning?_, Orochimaru thought. He quickly dodged to the side as a tail shot out of the ground he was standing on before. He continued his acrobatics as he nimbly dodged the red tails sprouting out of the ground. He soon melted into mud as a tail shot through his center from behind. The fox yanked its tails out before running forward. It rammed itself into the barrier, causing the whole stand to shake underneath the pressure.

* * *

Naruto suddenly fell to his knees as the whole place began to shake in a steady beat, like someone banging on his head with a hammer. His head pounded and throbbed as he clutched it tightly under the pain. He winced but kept his unfocused gaze on the boy in front of him. He could almost tell the boy would be smirking if it had a mouth.

What...what is happening?

Naruto clutched his head and let out a yell in pain.

* * *

Orochimaru watched from the side as the five tails let out a howl, arching its back before returning to smashing the barrier. The cracks were more prominent now, the cackling sound of the fuuin failing only showing the barrier giving way.

* * *

Minato somehow felt thankful towards the kyuubi as he felt it ram itself against the prison. It took a lot of power to break this kind of barrier down; power he didn't have. But all those feelings were drowned away with fear that the kyuubi was trying to get out of the one thing that prevented it from wreaking havoc on Konoha. Sure, the bijuu was nice to Naruto, but there was no telling how the bijuu would react to others; others who had lost families to the beast. The only thing keeping his people safe was the large cage Orochimaru created. Minato snapped out of his thoughts as the barrier finally gave way a little. A small hole appeared at the center of the web if cracks, big enough to wedge a pinky finger in. It was a small opening, but it was the opening he needed.

* * *

Naruto clenched his teeth a the hammer in his head was set off. The boy across him chuckled darkly as he slowly began to approach.

Naruto's vision began to blur and distort as his peripheral vision began to widen yet narrow at the same time. The tunnel vision began to make his eyes ache as the small sharpness appeared in certain splotches. He let out a growl a his hands shifted to clutch his eyes.

The burning sensation wouldn't stop as Naruto felt his cornea felt like they were ripped apart and put back together only to be ripped apart again.

When he opened his eyes, he couldn't see.

* * *

Minato flipped through the hand seals and jumped over to the crack. He slammed his hand over the hole and waited as the fuuin ink spread into its seal form. He jumped back down and sat cross legged on the roof, concentrating on the morphing seal. The seal began to shrink its way into the crack, inverting itself on the other side. When the seal finished moving, the barrier started warp towards the seal until a growth formed. It started to take shape of a human before a coloration occurred. A second Minato appeared on the other side of the barrier, his blue eyes were now a golden burned amber, glowing yellow. (2)

"Just...just this once..."

* * *

Naruto's breath quickened as his heart beat sped up. His eyes, his vision, he couldn't see! He turned around to see blackness too. A giggle snapped his head back front, wherever front was.

"What's wrong...Naruto..."

Wha...what did you do?

"Just a little gift"

Naruto started to notice the boy's voice was getting clearer, sharper, _closer._

S-Stay away.

"What are you talking about, Naruto? I haven't moved...it's...your eyes..."

W-what have you done...

Heeheehee- I told you, Naruto! I didn't do anything. But, you know what? It's a real shame that you'll never be able to see again.

The voice began to hum in an upbeat melody as it started to circle Naruto.

Imagine that. Namikaze Naruto, retired from the life of a Ninja at age 12 because he couldn't see.

No-

Your hopes, your dreams, crushed.

Stop it-

What would a blind Hokage do for the people?

STOP IT!

Just a hinderance. A nuisance. Look what you did to_ Reno_...

SHUT UP!

You hurt him-

Naruto began to scream as he clenched his eyes shut and clutched his head.

_I know, you will someday be an excellent Hokage._

Naruto's eyes snapped open and everything began to glow.

* * *

Orochimaru was smashed to the ground by the five tails, who had long given up on breaking the barrier. The five tails had found 'interest' in the snake and was currently entertaining itself with a game of smash the pinata. Orochimaru kept reconstructing himself from snakes and mud, watching as the fox was just idly waiting, _waiting for something._

Minato crouched on the branch of Hashirama's tree and looked down to the clearing to see a red fox with five tails beating the sannin around. The fox was barely trying. It was so apparent that the fox had lost complete interest in what it was hitting, like it was just doing something to past time, like it was_ expecting_ something.

Orochimaru started to stand up again after the umpteenth time he constructed himself. Minato watched intently as the fox and the snake stared off. The fox was the first to go. It dashed forward, closing the distance, 20 meters, 15 meters, 12, meters, 10-

Minato snapped his arms up to block from the incoming debris as the fox suddenly exploded, sending twigs and rocks of multiple sizes outward. His eyes cracked open to see the area completely covered in dust. The clouds were dying down and Orochimaru shifted out of his defensive stance he had taken to block the debris. Minato followed suit and watched carefully for the fox. There was a slight hum in the air and the cloud of dust began to pick up in a vortex.

Minato's eyes widened at the familiar yellow glow that was emitted from the cloud.

* * *

The boy watched Naruto as he screamed in pain and clutched his eyes.

W-what have you done...

The boy tilted his head to the side and stepped forward.

Heeheehee- I told you, Naruto! I didn't do anything. But it's a real shame that you'll never be able to see again.

The boy giggled and began to hum, circling the boy like shark.

Imagine that. Namikaze Naruto, retired from the life of a Ninja at age 12 because he couldn't see.

No-

Your hopes, your dreams, crushed.

Stop it-

What would a blind Hokage do for the people?

STOP IT!

Just a hinderance. A nuisance. Look what you did to Reno...

SHUT UP!

You hurt him-

Naruto screamed but suddenly opened up and the air around him began to glow. The boy stepped back from the brightness, shielding away the light. He squinted a little and looked at Naruto who was now engulfed in a yellow tinted white light. The boy screamed and charged.

YOU SHOULD JUST DIE, ALREADY!

The white light started to expand and before the boy could run away, he started to dissolve under the white light.

_Leave._

The boy's empty black eyes widened as he let out a scream.

Minato watched as the glow began to grow brighter until the cloud of dust was expelled, revealing Naruto. His wounds began to close up as the red chakra receded back to his stomach where the seal was before.

**Good to have you back, kit**.

_Thanks for keeping my seat warm, Kurama._ Naruto mocked.

**Che- be grateful that these eyes expelled that little demon.**

_Aren't __you__ a demon?_

**I'm not some low life that chases after lives. This one was a little pest that tried to take over. I was just keeping your sanity, a little.**

_Gee,Thanks._

Naruto's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of amber colored eyes that glowed. Minato's eyes widened. _Those-!_

"That's quite the ability, those eyes. And it was after he died on top of it! The Namikaze sure are resilient."

Minato's head whipped around to see next to him. A hooded figure crouched next to him, looking on at the clearing. Minato froze but quickly started to move. This guy! He didn't even sense him! He lashed a kunai out but his grip slackened when he looked down. The hooded man had already shot his hand through his chest before he could even move. Minato began to melt into a purple substance.

"Who-"

The clone had already melted before it could ask a question. The figure smirked under the hood as he watched Minato melt away. He looked back at the match in front of him and smirked.

"We got a little pest to take care of, don't we..."

* * *

Minato's eyes snapped open as he realized he was back outside. He looked up and noticed someone had repaired the barrier while he was out. His clone's memory began to flash through and he stiffened at the third party. Who was that man? He was probably kage level, if not higher. He turned to see Kushina landing next to him. Her face was streaked with tears.

"N-Naruto..."

"He's okay."

Kushina's head snapped up at the words. She covered her mouth and started to shake in disbelief then relief.

"He's..."

"Yeah. I saw it. But we may have a problem..."

"What is it?"

"There's someone else in there that managed to slip through. He's not on our side. He attacked my clone..."

"How? That clone is more advanced than any shadow clone! How could-"

"That was what I wanted to know. He managed to sneak up on a Hokage and move faster than him in order to kill him. I don't know how he managed..."

"This is a big problem..."

"Indeed..."

* * *

Naruto looked on to where Orochimaru was. The man was breathing heavily as he stood straight.

"What happened, Orochimaru? You look like you went through hell and back. I know, I sure have." He droned.

Orochimaru smirked.

"I was acquainting myself with your more.._.feral side_. I have to say, he's a lot more interesting than you are..."

"I'm glad you like him. Though he kind of hates you...As do I. I think I have a favor to return to you..."

"Oh? And what kind of favor is that for?"

"For killing me..."

Naruto flashed in front of him and rammed a rasengan into Orochimaru's stomach. When the sannin was launched into the tree, Naruto smirked. _This bastard's the real one._

Orochimaru slowly got up and began to approach Naruto. His wound from the rasengan began to slowly heal. Naruto's smirked dropped.

"My, aren't you just the strong one. You managed to escape a rasengan with not much damage. Perhaps, I should step it up..."

Naruto stretched his hand out and started to concentrate his wind chakra to his hand. But when he heard blade meet flesh, his chakra stopped, dispelling the ball, and his head snapped up to where Orochimaru was.

Orochimaru was impaled with a sword. Behind the sannin was a hooded man with a smirk. Naruto dropped into stance as the blood chilling voice rang into the air.

"_One down..._"

(1) He doesn't know what's in the barrier, all he knows is that the Kyuubi's chakra is out. So...

(2) The specifics will be specified later...in this summary...so just read on...

an:/ I hope I'm not making this story too depressing right now. I'm just introducing...an antagonist...and a kekkei genkai. Whoops! Thats right guys. This amber colored eye thing is a little doujutsu that I hailed upon the Namikaze family. You wanted development, you wanted something to spice up this canon like story, you got it! These last few chapters are probably the most important chapters in the entire story! I figured that so far, Naruto has been too strong so I kind of killed him. And since he's been too strong, people have been thinking that there is no room for him to improve. But wait a minute, didn't Kakashi get a rank of jounin at 12ish? I'm sure he improved when he grew older..so can Naruto. I gave Naruto a new found power...but that doesn't mean that he's god-like now..quite the contrary. I'll give you the specifics as to what this doujutsu does...in a later chapter. For now, enjoy the introduction to probably the most annoying character you will ever meet, second to probably Shippuden Sasuke and Kabuto...god those two are annoying. (I keep my opinions and respect yours. I personally don't like revenge bent sasuke and Kabuto is just annoying as hell. period.)

Now, tell me if there is any gaps in the storyline or something because, last thing I want is to reread this 40 chapters in and realize I've mentioned something in chapter 10 but never mentioned it after that...(I'm just throwing numbers here...don't go back to chapter 10 or anything...)

* * *

Review Responses~!

xdevil-childx: Hahaha, I'm trying to work on my cliffhanger skills..and from the reviews I'm getting, I think my skills are kinda good ;)

Battle neurosis: Awwwww...noooo

BlueEyedBabyy: Thank you! I was worried that I wasn't making the parents...parenty enough. Because in the series, every time Naruto get's into a near death state, his parents aren't there to console or worry! So I had to base everything off of...well, my creativity. I'm glad it worked out in the end!

Tachibana Natsu: Thank you! Keep on reading!

Zatheko: Ahh, I feel like I didn't display too much of Kyuubi's power here...but I guess I gave some little perks here...like uber fast speeds :D

Perhea II: Quite a list that I hope I checked off each and every one of them...Tons of awesomeness, I hope...

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Awww yiss. *jumps up and catches cookie in mouth*...IS THIS A CHALLENGE I SEE? I'm totes the most evil! Please! Bijuus become fluffy and sweet at the twist of my words! I kill off characters like I kill ants (MUAHAHAHAHAA)! I create the most foul antagonists (^The hooded guy) with a couple taps on a keyboard...I AM THE KINGGGGGGGGG...alright, I'm done with my ego soaring spree...haha, jk jk

Damon Furey: Sorry! I just didn't want people to be freaking out! And my little moment of sadism in reading people's cries of distress was over too quickly so I became nice again and updated fast. No worries! You got this chapter! So it's all gooodddd :D

SakuraFairy1990: Oh his ass totally get handed here...like several times...till of course...well...he dies but I mean, that's not the point is it? I hope I didn't let you down...that would be sad TT TT

EmilyLovesbooks: haha, surprises are what I strive for! Thank you for reading my story!

Foxxel: Yup, I looked on the internet (oh the abundance of information) then asked my friend who was taking anatomy, she said it was roughly 2 minutes, so I just left it at that...*nervously* p-put the knife away...I didn't mean too O.O Hahaha, kyuubi is of course to the rescue...like he always is...

TertiusArmada: Wow! Fast reader! Thanks for reading it, and in one go at that! I'm glad you're liking it and I hope you'll enjoy the rest of it!

The Keeper of Worlds: Ehm, correction, Five-tail vengeance, teehee! haha yes, four onto five...and Orochimaru...has served his purpose

Eryn Michaels: Oh dear, that's quite a lot of characters you killed...do you need help to hide the bodies? I think I have a little bit of space left in my author's closet...Sorry for the wait! Don't fall off your seat,though! I don't think this chapter has the same suspense so relax and enjoy the show...er, story...

Dynamoster: Noooooyyyyessssss Hahaha, Me and my cliffhangers...it's what I live for.

roselie0601: Hahaha, I think he got the cowards way out...Kushina will just have to use Minato for a punching bag afterward...that's what a Minato is for...right? Shit did go down on Orochimaru...hard...bah we'll just see how it plays out ;)

Ben Vilhaven: He...didn't think of it...or rather, I made Naruto not think about it...I always thought that Minato (and Naruto here) would take his Kunai back after a battle so people could decipher the hiraishin tag...but since my story is for a kekkei genkai, Ehh...naruto just never thought about it...Perhaps the barrier didn't allow teleportation without a medium on either sides...either way, Naruto died for real...and I guess the Kyuubi was back by himself until Naruto took care of the...thing in his head.

Erasels: He's the same height as the little'uns. I hope you reach this chapter in time to read my response! It's never too late to review! Reviews are always welcome!

ExoticAngel97: MUAHAHAHAHAA RELEASE THE KRAK- wait..erhmm, I mean...RELEASE THE KYUUBIIIIII

Alright, Thanks for review everyone! I'm actually starting to be able to type some of your pen names without looking! (I'm getting used to it!) So thanks for your constant support! Clearly, I don't know how lucky I am to have you guys as my readers. Alright, till next time! Jaa ne!


	34. Chapter 34

An:/ It seems I have made a lot of you mad about the doujutsu. Now, look here, sillies. I didn't want to spoil it for you, but clearly if I don't give the answer out straight, you won't listen.

SPOILER ALERT FOR THIS STORY!

No...no...NO! This doujutsu is never going to be something like the rinnegan or any powerful jutsu. (I'm not looking at you TertiusArmada, I understand where you're coming from, I'm replying to others and their pms) If anything, all it really does is improve the hiraishin. Remember Minato said something about a level two hiraishin in the series? Well I built up on that idea, and gave the Namikazes the ability of enhanced senses while reserving chakra (reason why Minato did it with that clone earlier) also, if you noticed, Minato was rather hesitant about using the jutsu...hmmm I wonder why...this isn't some kind of overpowered doujutsu. It's more like, ooo I have now the ability to reserve my chakra while being able to do my hiraishin WITHOUT A KUNAI! poof. The only improvement that has occurred so far with this new doujutsu. That's it!

My intentions to make a harem or anything of the sort has been completely shut down as said from previous chapters. Anything godlike...is also rejected. I personally thought this was clear. I made Naruto a jounin at a young age because I thought with the right nurturing, he would have been a lot stronger at a younger age. Being the son of two powerful figures obviously calls for that. But last time I checked, Naruto's parents were not the kamis themselves. So no...Naruto will not be able to move mountains at will and bend rivers with a flick of his wrists. Calm yourselves. I'm not into making these ridiculous characters (sorry to those who do, I don't mean any harm. I personally think they are a bit...over bearing)

END OF SPOILER

Alright. I hope that clears up the fog about the doujutsu. Don't worry! If you didn't read it, it will hopefully be explained in a later chapter, if you're patient enough. It wasn't much of a spoiler so if you did read it, not much has changed.

I'm kind of caught between a rock and hard place and not only have I caught a cold (a nasty one at that) but I've also caught writers block. Now, on a normal occasion, I would continue to OMAKE I started earlier back 8-9 chapters ago but I just feel like I'm running on vapor here. BUT I did get the chapter done in at least a week, so next time, give me time. I felt slightly discouraged that people didn't like the last chapter and so I guess it just knocked me off my streak. This, however, does not mean its on Hiatus nor am I discontinuing. The Namikaze Legend will continue. Just give me a small break alright? Everybody needs a break, and I think I deserve one right about now.

So here is a little recap of what's happening:

Chuunin exam:

Naruto died

Kyuubi came out

Naruto comes back

Naruto has a new doujutsu (THAT DOES NOT MAKE HIM ALL POWERFUL N' SHIT! GEEZ)

New guy comes in

Orochimaru dies

That's it...i think...

ALSO: I don't think I've failed to mention this several times. But I don't appreciate rude comments. Any flame will hopefully not be returned anymore, but I definitely won't appreciate them. This time I received some borderline ones that I had to reread a couple times before deeming it innocuous ranting. But next time, watch your words or I'll make you eat them.

* * *

brief disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the likes, I don't own shit. I can't even afford a cookie before running off to beg my parents for money...I'm broke...okaneganai?

* * *

"One down..."

Orochimaru let out a choke just as blood began to run down his lips. The figure behind flicked the sword to the side and let the body drop to the floor with a muffled thud. Naruto was frozen in place. This man...he didn't even sense him! He snapped out of it and quickly flashed in front of him, ready to stab him with his now unsealed sword (an:/ and you thought I'd let him just chuck it to the side, the sword is back).

The man quickly deflected the sword and with a swift kick, he sent Naruto barreling away. Naruto flashed mid-roll a few meters away, cradling his ribs.

"I meant that as a joke, Naruto-kun...no need to get so feisty"

"Who are you, how do you know my name?"

"Now now, no need to drown me in questions. Relax. I just needed a small personal audience with you. It will be quick I promise."

Naruto's eyes narrowed and turned icy. The amber cooled to a sharp brown. He shifted into stance.

"What do you want." He snapped.

"Just here to give you a little.._.prophecy_..."

"A prophecy? What do you mean."

"There are going to be rather troubling conflicts up ahead, a few enemies that want both of us dead. Frankly speaking, they're after your bijuu. But, you're going to kill them with rather ease so you shouldn't be worried."

Naruto's eyes flashed dangerously as his eyes narrowed a the man. His lips were set in a firm line as he glared.

"How-"

"I was doing us a favor killing this snake here. He was going to be a real problem in the future..."

"Are you saying you have the gift of insight?"

"...Something like that." the man smiled.

"Isn't that rather cheating? Being able to see the future and change it to your will...do you think you're kami?"

"Oh no...quite the opposite. I'd rather think of myself as the Shinigami. I'm here to reap the lives that need to go, and I felt that Orochimaru needed to go."

Naruto's foot shifted as sweat started to collect under his hitai ate.

"His little apprentice, Kabuto, is still going to work for me, even with this man gone so I figured, why have two of them? The sannin was a liability and so I quickly dispatched him. It's never one's interest to attempt to control a figure so powerful. Shame, though, really. He was so full of talent, wasted away on envy and jealousy."

"So you worked with him?"

"Of course. But don't go bunching me with him...I've got more pride than that. Though I support his plan for the Uchiha boy wholeheartedly. I know he's your student but he's a key component in the master plan and what Kabuto has in store for him will speed up the process. Alright. Well that's all I wanted to say, I'll be off now!-"

"What makes you think you're getting away?"

The smile under the hood dropped as the man shifted his weight to face Naruto.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, boy."

Naruto flinched when the man suddenly disappeared. The next thing he knew, he was aerial and his stomach felt like a boss summon just head butted him. He landed on the roof with a thud. He groaned as he looked up. The man stood above him and Naruto could almost see under the hood, but the man moved ever so slightly, obstructing Naruto's view.

"Wh-who are you..."

"None of your concern. Until next time, Namikaze Naruto. Farewell."

And with that, the man disappeared.

* * *

The Barrier flickered a few times before it shattered like glass. Minato and Kushina immediately went in to search for their son, finding him on the floor, struggling to breathe. They saw Orochimaru's body and Minato immediately called ANBU.

"Naruto..." Kushina brought Naruto up and caught him in a desperate hug. "Oh kami, never do that again."

"Kaa-san..."

Naruto slowly brought his hands up to hug back. He winced and Kushina immediately let go.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I feel a bit tired."

"It's those eyes, Naruto." Naruto looked up to his dad. Minato kneeled down and place his hands on Naruto's shoulders.

"Naruto, you can't use those eyes unless you really have to..."

"W-why? What eyes?"

"Remember, you had amber eyes. This is a rather...interesting doujutsu. It's the level three Hiraishin."

"What does it do?"

"It will help maintain and control your chakra for successive hiraishin without the aid of seals. You senses will also increase to an extent. But, you shouldn't use it often. It's very taxing and there are downsides to it. I can't tell you the downside because it varies in each Namikaze. You'll have to find out on your own."

Naruto frowned a little. An ANBU flashed next to Minato and kneeled.

"The Oto and Suna nin are retreating. The jinchuuriki is in our hands and so are the Kazekage's children."

"Dismissed." Minato ordered and turned his family.

"So who killed Orochimaru?"

Naruto tried to stand up but winced.

"The man. I didn't get much of a reading on him."

"Naruto-Sensei!"

Naruto turned around to see his three students approaching him. He shifted and started to move forward to meet them halfway but somehow everything went vertigo and then black.

* * *

_(One week later)_

Sakura made her way around the hospital, doing her daily rounds of visiting patients. Ever since her apprenticeship with Rei and Rin, she's been taking courses and doing small jobs around the hospital. Today she was visiting the ward with the shinobi that were injured during the invasion. There weren't that many, but the severity of the wounds made up for the lack in numbers. Most were sporting missing limbs and some where in comas. Or, for a more accurate number, only one person was in a coma as a result of the invasion. Out of all the patients there, he probably had the least damage but it was most likely due to his supposed Kekkei genkai. At least that's what the Hokage mentioned.

Sakura stood outside of the room, the name tag reading the patient's name. It was slightly heartbreaking seeing him sleeping and unmoving. She opened the door and was greeted with a blonde boy hooked up with monitors and other wires. A little vase of tiger lilies was settled on the stand and the blinds were opened. His parents must have visited him in the morning.

She always saved his room for last because every time she made her way here she found herself always sitting quietly in the empty chair and waiting for the boy to wake up. Occasionally she'd wait an hour or so or until a nurse came in and shooed her away. She leaned back and watched Naruto as his chest slowly rose and then fell back, the steady rhythm of his breathing lulling her to sleep. Soon she found herself falling asleep, eyelids slowly closing and her head rocking against her arm that was propped up on the armrest.

"...Sakura?"

Her eyes snapped open and her head shot up, expecting a nurse to be looking over her with a scowl. But when she was met with nothing, her head looked around for the source.

"Down here, Sakura."

Her head looked at the bed next to her and green met blue.

"Naruto?...Naruto? You're awake! Oh my, you're awake!"

She jumped out of her seat and practically tackled Naruto.

"Ow...ow...my arm. Please, release my arm."

Sakura murmured an apology as she loosened her grip. She brought him out at shoulder length when he propped himself up. She inspected him, dodging her head around to make sure he was okay. She let out a sigh and bonked the boy on the head.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"Dammit, Naruto-sensei! Don't go around scaring people like that! You've been out for a week!"

"A week! Shit! I have to report- urg" Naruto winced and cringed as he cradled his ribs. After another quick check up, Sakura bonked him on the head again.

"You should be resting! Don't go around moving abruptly like that otherwise you'll reopen something."

"H-hai, Sakura"  
Naruto went back to cradling his head while a ghost of a small smile

spread across Sakura's face. It was good to have Naruto back, even if he was only gone for a week. She whipped around with the door slid open violently.

"Haruno Sakura. Please refrain from wasting your time waiting on a-"  
The nurse walking in stopped her words when she noticed Naruto was awake.

"N-Namikaze-san! You're awake! I'll tell the Hokage immediately."

The nurse succuried off, leaving the two in a thick silence.

"I was really hoping for some peace and quiet for just a bit longer."

"What do you mean-"

Minato suddenly appeared in the room and launched himself at Naruto.

"Naru-chan~! You're awake!"

Minato trapped him in an inescapable hug and began rubbing his face against Naruto's. Naruto was desperately trying to pry his father off but to no avail.

"Mi-na-to. Get off my son before you suffocate him."

Kushina's appeared at the doorway and walked up to the duo before ripping the grown man off Naruto.

"Naruto, how are you feeling?"

"Like my dad just greeted me in the most unHokage-like way possible. In pain."

"Sorry to hear that Naruto. Now do you want a hug from mommy too? I'm sure mine will pop all your bones back in place..." The saccharine voice of Kushina rung through the air as Kushina approached the bed like a predator, the lights in her eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Wait..no...please...no...s-STOP!" *KRACK* "OWWWWW!"

Sakura just shifted away awkwardly and left the room, leaving the Namikazes to themselves as the cries for help was muffle by her closing the door.

* * *

_(To the future! By like a month or so.)_

"I've called you all today to announce the genin that have been promoted during the, er- chuunin exams."

Minato cleared his throat as he pulled a scroll out with the names. A line of genin stood in formation in his office and their jounin instructors were on the peripheral.

"I would like the following genins to step forth and claim their new status as chuunin."

Minato looked down at the sheet and began reading off the names.

"Aoba Yoki, Nara Shikamaru, and Konohamaru Sarutobi. Please step forth as we hand to you your chuunin vests."

The three boys stepped forward and accepted their three green vests. Yoki's eyes glinted with mischief as they made contact with Minato's eyes. The air of finality settled and an Uchiha's eyes flashed dangerously and his fist clenched tight. The Hokage dismissed the group and the jounins and disappointed genins started to file out. Sasuke tsked and turned away towards the door but a hand reached out and grabbed him wrists. He whipped around, ready to bash in the offender but was halted at the sight of Yoki. He clenched his teeth.

"What do you want." He snarled.

Yoki stayed silent until everyone filed out except the Hokage and the Sannin, Jiraiya.

"Uchiha Sasuke, we have a preposition for you, involving your rank."

* * *

Naruto trudged his way over to the training grounds. It was his day off but that meant squat. He needed to train. He felt a bit weird without the weight of his jounin vest, but he wasn't complaining. He settled for a gray hoodie over fishnet and a pair of ANBU pants. He left his hitai ate and his bib at home. His mom insisted that he learned the "ways of the civilian" to get a sense of norm. But clearly that wasn't working out for him since instead of walking on the dirt road like any normal person would, he was jumping from the roofs and trees, only leaving a cloud of dust or a breeze in his wake...like the ninja he was. He currently made his way to the training ground where he was most at home and decided to take a break from the aerial mode of transportation.

He flung his arms over his head and let out a yawn. It would be only two months till he left, give or take a few days. He was still a fresh jounin with not many missions under his belt, regardless of all his war efforts and bounty collection. He was thirteen going on fourteen and everyone else was twice his age. Not particularly comforting, being the "young'un" of the group. He shied away from the jounin lounge whenever possible and avoided contact with the other jounin instructors if he could.

He found an open training field and began his stretches. By leaving, of course, he meant a training trip. Another one. Another training trip with Jiraiya. I know, I know, what good would two training trips with the old fart do? Well sure, the guy was always at the bathhouses instead of teaching him, but this time would be different. Jiraiya needed someone to take care of his spy network and Naruto was up for the job. Not to mention the duo would be going on some jounin missions, of course. A little bit of assassination here, some recon there, a dash of infiltration, and a pinch of badassery was added to the mix and Naruto was all for it.

He would probably be gone for two years or so just to get a grasp of the network and probably take on some missions. His students have missions to take while he's gone so it will be okay. Plus, he just added a spy of his own to the network. Might as well start now, right?  
Naruto scrunched his nose and began his sets.

* * *

Sasuke entered the compound and dropped the duffle bag he was carrying on the floor of his room before slumping against the wall. His onyx eyes stared the bag down as it lay on the floor untouched. His dragged his fingers through his hair and scrunched his face in thought. What was he going to do about the preposition he received?

_(Flashback)_

"Uchiha Sasuke, we have a preposition for you, involving your rank."  
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I'm listening."

Yoki dropped his henge to reveal his blonde Sensei.

"We have a small job coming up and it's mostly centered around you. Now before we tell you anything. You gotta swear none of this leaves the room. We'd also like you to swear oath to Konoha."

"What for?" Sasuke asked cautiously. He knew they were treading on dangerous waters.

"What we are about to tell you has relevance to national security. Perhaps even global. So, Uchiha? What do you say?" Minato's voice dropped an octave.

"I swear loyalty to Konoha. Now tell me what this is about! Quit beating around the bush!"

Naruto's eyes flicked up from the floor. They were cold as steel causing Sasuke to take a step back.

"There is going to be a man. He's really dangerous and he will be sending Kabuto after you. Kabuto will try to bribe you into defecting. But, this man he's working for is what's really important. He managed to bypass a ANBU, a barrier, a kage, and a jounin, all to kill a slippery Sannin that couldn't be beaten, with a single stab. This man is very dangerous. And judging by Naruto's description, he has the gift to see future events."

"And what exactly am I going to do? Ignore kabuto's invitation? Why are you telling me this-"

"You're going to accept the invitation."

"What? I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I don't think-"

"Sasuke." Naruto interrupted.

"What."

"Calm down."

Sasuke suddenly realized how loud his voice got an how heavy his breathing became. His offensive stance clearly showed hostility and Sasuke shrunk back, regulating his breathing.

"S-sorry."

"Sasuke. Look. This is a very difficult job that only you can do. And in not saying that as a motivational pep talk. I really mean that there is no one else who can take this job."

"You want me to defect? Am I getting kicked out of the village?" Naruto almost cringed at the defeated voice of his student, _a friend_.

"No, Sasuke. You're not getting kicked out. What we want you to do is a long term mission undercover. Think of it as an S-ranked mission" Naruto's voice was filled with mischievousness as the blonde attempted to pick the mood up. But Sasuke's confused voice said otherwise.

"I don't...I don't follow."

"Sasuke. We want you to go undercover as a double agent and keep tabs on Kabuto and this strange man. It will require...a lot of stressful work. But, if you're up for it, you will be helping us tremendously."

Sasuke still looked unsure.

"We'll give you a week to decide, Sasuke. But before you go, there's also another thing we'd like to address."

Sasuke looked up at Naruto.

"Congrats on your promotion!"

Naruto shoved a chuunin vest into Sasuke's face.

"Wha-but I didn't-"

"We weren't sure if there was a spy in the room at the time and so we figured in case you accepted the mission, we would give you an alibi or reason to leave. What better cover for a supposedly power hungry brat than the fact that he failed the chuunin exams? So we're promoting you in secrecy. Congrats, Sasuke. I'm proud of you."

"Wha-what about my parents?"

"They know. They also know about your circumstance. If you want, you could talk to them about your decision. In fact, I encourage you to ask for their opinion."

Sasuke nodded and took the vest. He slowly tried the vest on, noticing the snug feeling of the vest and the smell of new clothes. The stiffness of the jacket made him stand up straight as he zipped the jacket up all the way. The collars were slightly tight but it was the way he liked it. He smiled a bit but quickly realized that he was still in the Hokage's office. He blushed and straightened up. Naruto chuckled before patting him on the back.

"You look sharp, Sasuke. Alright, I'll be off. Kaa-san wants me to do some weird civilian day stuff...see ya"

Naruto mock saluted before flashing away. Sasuke turned to the door before he was stopped by Jiraiya.

"Hold up, boy. You can't go out just yet in that chuunin vest. Also, I have a bag full of regulations and whatnot on being a spy. Naruto may have forgotten to mention this, but he's going to be your spymaster. Meaning, you report everything to him. Everything. Alright, put the vest away and hit the road, budd. Me and the Hokage got some grown up talk to go through."

Minato frowned as Jiraiya tossed a black duffle bag to Sasuke. Sasuke grabbed the bag and took his vest off before running back home to tell his parents.

_(End of flashback)_

Sasuke smiled just as he heard his parents arrive the main house from their jobs. He quickly ran downstairs not before grabbing his vest from the bag and slipping it on while he ran. He couldn't wait to see his parents faces.

* * *

Naruto laid on the ground, panting as the last of his clones dispersed. He stared up in the sky, not noting how dirty his civilian clothes were. He frowned a bit when he thought about sending Sasuke off undercover. It was pretty dangerous for a fresh chuunin, hell, what was he talking about. He was jounin already! If he could handle jounin, Sasuke could easily handle an S-ranked after his promotion to chuunin...or not. Naruto still couldn't shake off the feeling of dread. Was sending his student off really a good idea?

But then another thought hit him. He was no longer a sensei. He could no longer hold the right of their sensei now that two of them were chunins and one of them was an apprentice in the hospital. He couldn't teach them anything and he couldn't boss them around like he used to. He rested his elbow on his eyes and smirked. What was he thinking? Missing his students? As if. He should be glad, if anything else, that this annoying burden was finally over with. He dropped the smile and quickly got up, haphazardly brushing the dust off his already grey clothing before sprinting off to the Hospital, the Sarutobi compound, then the Uchiha compound. Who's in for ramen?

* * *

_(A month long timeskip)_

Naruto stretched his muscles as he flexed his arms above his head. He ruffled his hair a bit, no changing the forever-bedhead spikes. He turned to the clock on his bed stand and read 7:58. The light filtered through the blinds and Naruto squinted as a ray of sun landed straight on his eyes when he sat up.

"I put my alarm clock on, and I wake up 2 minutes early. This is ridiculou-"

"NARUTO!"

His eyes glazed over as he plopped back on his bed.

"I said...NARUTO! WAKE THE HELL UP BEFORE I BURN OFF ALL YOUR ICHA ICHA BOOKS AND YOUR JUTSU NOTES!"

His eyes that were slowly closing shot open and he sprang from his bed several feet in the air before landing in a heap on the floor next to his bed.

"I..I'M AWAKE! DON'T TOUCH THEM! NO NO NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT-"

Naruto stumbled out of his room before he darted for the kitchen. He couldn't feel the pull of any hiraishin seals and figured that his mom cleaned out all the seals._ That trickster._

"DAMMIT! KAA-SAN! YOU WASHED OFF THE SEALS!"

A faint snickering was heard as Naruto dashed into the kitchen and nearly jumped out of his skin when the pop of confetti sprayed into his face and the popping sound rang into his ear. His eyes that snapped close slowly opened to reveal Minato in a pink apron holding a cake and Kushina holding a popped party popper.

"Happy Birthday, Naruto!" They chanted.

Naruto stood there gobsmacked in his orange shirt and grey pants for pajamas. His blonde hair was spikier than normal due to bedhead and a small drop of drool at the edge of his mouth.

"Wh-what?"

"Happy 14th Birthday!"

His shocked expression melted into a soft smile then a grin. He walked over to the dining table to start his celebration.

* * *

An:/The Namikaze Legend isn't over yet, perhaps maybe a few (10 or so, give or take) chapters before I start the shippuden sequel like I promised.

As you can see, I've started to announce his departure on his training trip. I won't specify really what he will do, perhaps a few detailed chapters on missions, but other than that, you won't hear much about the training trip. Unless, of course, you want me to make a separate story just to write about his missions and spy networking. I could pull it off but the sequel would have to wait, or it would be a trilogy. Your choice

POLL (TWO QUESTIONS)

**Should I make a story describing Naruto's trip with Jiraiya?**

A yes or no should be good enough, maybe a small note on the side as too how long or something

**What should I name the sequel?**

I have a few names starting up, but it'd be great if I had some of your input. A few that I have:

An Uzumaki's Legacy (AUL)

Inari's Prayer (IP)

A Whirlpool Among the Waves (AWAW)

As you can see, my creativity stops there. I was never one for naming, just imagine when I'm older and have kids. They will be named thing one and thing two...SO, if you don't want the fate of the sequel's title to be horrible, give me your input! Make em fast so I can create new ones based off of your suggestions and hold a real poll, as in tallies versus suggestions

* * *

So, I gave Sasuke a chance to be awesome and I also gave him an emotional side...oh wait, he's already emotional. Well, a positive emotional side. I also gave him a serious mission that will probably affect the outcome of the whole story. I haven't specified who the cloaked man was, but I'll give you a hint, it ain't Tobi, though Tobi and Madara will make their appearance, it ain't them.

* * *

Review Responses:

xdevil-childx: Hmmm, no cliffhanger this time.

Mathiasosx: Oh, lighten up. And I'm not being a dick if I just want to give you something to look forward too. Cliffhangers are a good thing as they build up excitement and anticipation. I didn't add a cliffhanger here because there is no need to have anticipation since it isn't an important fight or anything. Cheer up and enjoy!

SakuraFairy1990: Haha, it will be a cold day in hell before I kill Minato off.

TertiusArmada: Haha, I believe that the Rinnegan is indeed an overkilled idea. I was like...I want to give him a kekkei genkai but anything but the Rinnegan. So overused and quite frankly, overpowered. And I believe that this doujutsu is gonna be awesome

Guest: Thank you, TELL ME WHAT SUPERT MEANS

BlueEyedBabyy: Thanky! Hmm, you'll see :D

Guest: Don't tell me...YOU TOO!

The Keeper of Worlds: Haha, yes...But not this chapter...or this story it seems...

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Oh dear...it seems I cannot top off your evilness...for now. I'll surrender for now until I kill off the next character..you have been forewarned.

Tsuukiyomi: You missed not much...actually. But no worries, it's all good :D BUTTTTTTT your prediction is not true...not in this story...sorry! So close yet so far. But I'll let you squirm a bit before I answer anything...

blair27: Lol no. guess again.

EmilyLovesbooks: And you're an awesome reader. Thanks for reading!

Guest: I believe, I have not ruined anything with my kekkei genkai. It ain't yo overpowered doujutsu and it most definitely isn't as bad as a harem. Now I agree, Harem are a bit creepy...*shudders as well* but I felt that in order for something to happen in the future of my story, Naruto needed these new eyes. Now, I ain't gonna make him overpowered, so I don't see why you got your panties in a twist (figure of speech, don't get offended) Time skip is coming up and I do plan on having a little intro to Sage mode...but that's for another time.

entityoffire: HAHAHAA no. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA you'll just have to find out later

NamiNavigator: Haha, thanks. I hope the chapter wasn't too confusing but all in all, it was okay, right? Keep on reading!

Damon Furey: Haha, you're going to learn to hate this guy so well, I can just feel it.

Rinnegan97: Will do!

Foxxel: Hmm yes, if you read when Minato entered the barrier, he had amber eyes...too! AhAHAHAAHAHA yes, a family kekkei genkai.

Crazy3rik: Ah, you, sir, are quite fancy. Quite, indeed.

Guest: Ya'll driving me up the wall with insanity...WHAT DOES SUPERT MEAN!

Doomslayer10000: I'm glad it exceeded your expectation! It was what I aimed for and it is apparently what I got!

Diablitojack: Who said he was human? (whoops, jkjk) Its all part of the grand master plan that I have concocted in my head and will be expressed on ink. So no worries, fight is over, things will progress

**IF YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING WHO THE FACELESS NARUTO WAS, READ THE NEXT REVIEW RESPONSE:**

ExoticAngel97: ALrighty. Faceless Naruto is a bit of a confusing entity that followed him from death. Remember the boy he met in the void? Well it followed him. I guess you could say he's all of Naruto's negative thoughts. The fact that he's faceless might have been contributed from the fact that Naruto doesn't feel like he has an Identity, always in the shadow of his title of prodigy and the title of his father. But he's been removed for now by the kekkei genkai. I guess you could say he's the reason Naruto activated the new kekkei genkai.

RoyyBoyy: Yup, yup, I realized my mistake, and I have apologized. Hope you read those extra 10 chaps to see this response and hopefully my apology to the reader. Keep on reading!

* * *

Alright. I'm really sorry for the uber late update. But like I said above, I'm sick and my mom still sends me to school. Not that I can afford to skip a day anyways (wow, I'm already at an age where I fear that if I skip school, I'll miss something important. I probably didn't think like this freshman year..would have jumped the opportunity) So, I'm a bit off, and crazy. If I have any typos, like missing 'r's and other stuff, just don't blame me...

It was Naruto's birthday, I made him 14. Everyone else is turning 14 or something or another. Screw the canon timeline and screw everything. I do whatever the hell I want *immaturely stomps foot on ground* *puff cheeks out*

Aight, See ya!


	35. Chapter 35

an:/So I know it took awhile to update but I have some legit excuses...well kind of. First off, I had relatives over so as I good host, I couldn't spend time on the internet. Also, I looked at what I wrote from time to time and just couldn't write anything. This chapter just happens to be when Sasuke left and I just didn't know how to write it. As a matter of fact, I looked at it on Sunday and completely deleted everything I wrote for this chapter because I thought it sucked balls (excuse my crudeness but I find there is a lack of a better term for how much it sucked) I also had SAT just like...right now, today and all. My mind is probably fried so if there's anything wrong in the writing...blame my brain..blargh.

Also I just like procrastinating...sorry! (not really, let's be frank here...)

So after looking through my SAT book, I've discovered a terrifying fact...I've been spelling "all right" the slang way! Noooo! There goes my writing career. I'm always like "alright" or "aight" instead of "all right" which is the correct way. If you see this kind of stuff...TELL ME!

It seems that a lot of you like "Inari's prayer" or something based off of Inari...I have some new titles and some old ones but the legit poll isn't up till later...so new options:

Festival of the Foxes

A Blooming Vixen, Cunning Ape, and Crow's journey (courtesy of The Keeper of Worlds)

The Inari Legend (courtesy of Djflemse)

The Namikaze Legend: A second Journey (courtesy of ownerl)

Inari's Prayer

A Whirlpool Among the Waves

An Uzumaki's Legacy

Aerotyl is Uncreative

The Namikaze Legend...Part 2!

Inari no Inori (Inari's prayer in japanese...anyone recognize it from somewhere? Hint: It's in an earlier chapter)

Guardian of the Gates

At this point, I'm just throwing anything at you really...

Aerotyl is a total Asshole

The Last Living Legacy

Alright, that's enough. I think I've fried my brains in terms of creativity and won't be able to use it anymore for the next 24 hours...urgh.

-  
Sakura yawned and stretched her arms above her head. It was going to be an excellent day today, she just knew it. She was about to yawn again but Ino ran into and continued to run past her.

"Ino-pig! What was that for!" She yelled

Ino stopped midway and turned around.

"Sorry, Forehead! There's a surprise party tonight and I have to get a gift!"

"For who? Is it for the Kyuubi Festival?"

"Wow, Forehead! You don't know? It's for your own sensei! Namikaze Naruto! His birthday is today!"

Sakura blanched and immediately dashed next to Ino, hooking her arm around the blonde and dragging Ino with her.

"Take me with you! I totally forgot!"

Ino smirked straightened up. The two girls ran along to the merchant's district. If the party is at night, then they have some last minute shopping to do!

* * *

Sasuke sat on the deck hallway, looking out to the darken skies. The air was chilly and the last remnants of summer were fleeting. The chirping of crickets rung through the air as the sound of festivities were drowned away in the background. Konoha was brightly lit and the glow from downtown illuminated the walls of the compound. The compound was empty because a majority of the clan was off patrolling as the police or celebrating the day the Kyuubi no Kitsune was defeated by the Yondaime and the Sandaime.

He sighed and leaned back, propping himself up by his elbows. His eyes narrowed before he closed his eyes.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun."

His eyes shot open and he reached for a kunai only to realize he was unarmed. _What an amateur mistake_.

His eyes met with snake-like eyes and he almost couldn't suppress the shudder that went down his spine. He swallowed a bit and stared dead on. This was it.

"Kabuto."

* * *

Naruto laid back on the swivel chair in the office. His father decided he could wear the Hokage's hat for a day and sit in his chair for his birthday. Oh, the joys of being the son of a Hokage.

He heard the door open and he swiveled his chair.

"Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, is not in right now, how may I hel- Sasuke?"

When Naruto was fully turned, Sasuke was at the doorway panting.

"H-Happy Birthday, Sensei."

"Er, thanks. but did you really run here just to tell me that?"

Sasuke looked up at Naruto's amused face when he finally caught his breath.

"He started."

Naruto's gaze hardened and he straightened up in the seat, the chair bending back to its upward position.

"You know what this means, right?"

"I...I know..."

"When is he going-"

"A week. He'll send four people. It was vague. I said I would go."

"Get packing. Your mission starts in a week. Watch out, he may be watching you."

"Hai...Hokage-sama." Sasuke ended with a smirk.

Naruto chuckled and waved his hand.

"Maa-just you wait, Sasuke. You'll be saying those words for real."

"Sure, Naruto-sen-"

"I'm not your sensei anymore. Didn't we clarify that last time?"

"Dobe"

"Teme. I'm still a higher up, you impudent brat. Don't go around with your nose in the air."

"Sure thing...Naruto."

Naruto smiled and jumped out of his chair.

"So, you in for some celebratory ramen? I can practically smell it!"

"Sure. The rest of the team?"

"Yup, yup."

Naruto got out of his chair and started to walk towards the door. But, Sasuke missed the smirk on the blonde's face and suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve before being completely sucked away, leaving the Hokage's office empty.

Somewhere near Ichiraku's, a yell was heard.

"NARUTO!"

And then the sound of a katon jutsu rang through the air, probably a Goukakyuu, and then the yelp of a blonde before everything went back to the usual festival noises.

* * *

Naruto entered his house and slumped against the couch in the living room. It's been a long day of celebration and he couldn't help but feel exhausted, even with his almost unlimited stamina and energy. Naruto immediately stiffened when a creak was heard.

His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings. Did someone break in-

"SURPRISE!"

From the furniture, several people jumped out from behind and held banners out and Jiraiya was unfortunately the closest to Naruto. Naruto instinctively kicked the nearest offender and launched the poor pervert through the window.

"Why me!" Jiraiya cried as he soared through Konoha.

"I think that takes the new record for how far Jiraiya can be launched." Minato mumbled.

Tsunade and Kushina took out binoculars to look at how far the man got as Naruto cleared his throat.

"Again? How many surprises am I going to get before I accidentally kill someone?"

Minato chuckled as he walked up from behind.

"I guess we'll have to wait till Sensei comes back."

"Hmm."

* * *

Sasuke looked up to the ashen skies and then looked back at his bag. The bare minimum with little intimate possessions. Just a few clothes and some weapons. Naruto gave him a Hiraishin kunai disguised as a chain for instant communication and backup. His mother handed him a pendant with the clan symbol which was now hanging from the silver hiraishin chain. His father gave him a long stern look for five whole minutes (all in silence) before shoving a jar of tomatoes into his bag. Sasuke couldn't help but smile a little. His father was a bit of a stone face and had major issues expressing things right, but once you got to know him, you could see the little signs of affection that didn't mean much at a superficial glance. He learned that his father wasn't as stone-hearted as he thought before the massacre. The guy was a cuddly fluff bunny once you got to know him...okay, just kidding.

Sasuke took one last glance at his compound entrance. His memories, his emotions, his origins. It was just a mission but Sasuke couldn't help but feel like he would never see this very entrance ever again. He closed his eyes and took in the feeling of closure, a memory that would always be remembered as a serene, peaceful, and-

"Sasuke-kun! Sweetheart!"

Sasuke turned to the screech with annoyance, releasing a bit of killer intent around him, to see a girl approaching, or more like prancing towards, him. She wore an unusual high-collared orange and black jumpsuit and her long blonde hair was tied up into two pigtails. Sasuke blanched at the sight of two familiar cheeks of whiskers and blue cerulean eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing." He snarled.

"Awww, is that what I get as a greeting from my _long. time. boyfriend~_?" She cooed.

The blonde leaned into Sasuke and blew into his ear. Sasuke shivered and shoved the girl off.

"Knock it off, you're creeping me out."

The girl cackled and jumped around. Then she leaned in and hugged him, whispering into his ear.

"They're watching, ya know. Can't give them the wrong idea..."

"I don't need to know you personally to know who you are under that Henge, dobe"

"Che-Teme, you know the drill, right? You've got this-"

"I know, I know."

"We'll be hot on your trail so watch it. I can't have them think we'd easily let you out on your own. You're too valuable to us...Sasuke-kun~"

"Hn."

She leapt off with a face of complete and utter betrayal. Her volume increased back to the screeching voice.

"Urgh! We're totally breaking up! I can't take it with you anymore! I hate you, you stoic bastard!"

*SMACK*

And next thing Sasuke knew, everything went vertigo and he was on the floor with his left cheek stinging like crazy. He felt dazed and caught a glimpse from upside down of the blonde storming away.

_This is too much for me._

_(an:/ inspiration song for this breakup scene: Paradise OST from Naruto the movie: Road to Ninja)_

* * *

"This is a level 3, code yellow! I need these five shinobi in my office in the next 5 minutes!" Minato shouted at his door.

An assistant bursted and grabbed the sheet that Minato held out with the five names.

"Right away, sir"

The woman scampered off and a moment later, Naruto appeared in his office.

"I know, I saw him off. We wait?"

"We wait." Minato nodded gravely.

They waited a few minutes before Konohamaru bursted through the doors, followed by Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and Neji. Naruto raised a quizzical brow at Minato.

"Sensei! It's it true?"

Naruto turned to the now yelling Konohamaru and gave a serious face.

"Yes. As of now, Uchiha Sasuke has been declared a missing nin. Now the real question is, what are you doing here, Sarutobi Konohamaru. I don't recall you being on the list."

"My teammate has just been declared a missing nin...ARE YOU SERIOUSLY ASKING THAT QUESTION!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he flashed in front of Konohamaru and shot his hand out. Konohamaru flinched and cringed away, expecting a blow that never came. Instead, Naruto's hand flopped onto Konohamaru's head and ruffled it about. Konohamaru looked back up at Naruto. Naruto gave a small grin.

"Don't worry, Konohamaru. I won't let my comrades down. I'll make sure we bring him home, okay?"

Konohamaru weakly nodded and turned away.

"You better..." he mumbled.

Minato cleared his throat.

"So, Naruto basically explained it. Uchiha Sasuke has been declared a missing nin as of this morning. I'm short on shinobi here so I'm afraid I can only send you five, Konohamaru, I need you to run to the Hospital and get me Maito Gai."

Konohamaru gave a quick nod before jumping out towards the balcony. Minato turned back to the five shinobi.

"I believe that if it's you five, the mission will be a success."

Minato looked over to Naruto who only nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. Naruto retreated to the wall and leaned against it as Minato continued the report.

"You five are to leave immediately. Time is of the essence. This is an S-ranked mission and is of top priority. There should be, under no circumstances, any sidetracking. Shikamaru, you're team captain."

"Wha-, Hokage-sama! This is too troublesome...Shouldn't you make the only jounin on the team the captain? Naruto is better suit-"

"I'm testing to see the extent of my new chuunin's abilities. Naruto will give you advice along the way in case you need it. Your strategic thinking is what got you that rank, use it. A chuunin is required to have some form of leadership skill. A jounin under your belt shouldn't be an issue. Naruto-"

Naruto looked back at Minato.

"Make sure they're all safe."

"Nn." Naruto nodded.

Shikamaru sighed.

"This is too troublesome. Meet at the gates in an hour."

* * *

Sasuke inwardly scowled. These freaks were asking him to jump in a box! As if! And when he says freaks, he means _freaks_. Apparently, they had the same cursed seal as him. Naruto told him not to activate the seal under any circumstance but after the four showed him what they looked like with the seal activated, he didn't need to be told twice. He paled to imagine what he would look like under the influence of this freakish jutsu.

"Like I said," he droned, "I'm not getting into that damn box. I don't trust you guys."

"Wow, he's blunt." The girl said.

"Listen, kid, if you don't get into the box, Kabuto will have our heads." The burly man came up to him and went to grab for him but Sasuke deftly dodged.

"Since when did you all listen to Kabuto." Sasuke sneered as he fixed the straps on his bag.

"Kid-"

"If you really think I'm going to jump in a damn box because a bunch of strangers tell me to? I've got news for you: It's not going to happen!"

The girl growled.

"Listen, you _little fuck_! I don't have time for your shit, get in the damn box or I'll fucking kill you! I won't give a shit if Kabuto skins us! As long as you're six feet under, I won't give a damn!" The girl yelled. The other two nins stood idly behind the bundle of joy and the fatso, as Sasuke so politely named them. Sasuke leaned away from the girl's loud screeching and started rubbing his temples.

"Fine, fine. I'll go in, as long as it gets you to shut up."

Sasuke turned away from the girl just before she started yelling at him. He quietly ignored her and settled himself into the box and waited for the four, not three, stooges to seal him in. _Naruto better treat me to a whole year's worth of tomatoes after this whole ordeal,_ he mumbled to himself. The muffled sounds of the screaming banshee was heard from outside the box and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. _Now for some peace and quiet_.

* * *

The five shinobi waited at the gates as Minato started to walk towards them. Naruto stood in full battle outfit with his sword strapped to his back. Turns out, the vast use of summoning the damn sword during the Chuunin exams caused the seal to break down a little. Naruto didn't get a chance to put it under maintenance yet hence the sword on his back rather than in a seal. Kiba stretched his arms above his head while Akamaru yipped. Shikamaru yawned and looked up to the sky while Chouji started feasting on his chips. Neji stood perfectly still next to Naruto, who was also standing like a statue.

"Well, you five," Minato started, "Bring Uchiha Sasuke home."

All five saluted and just as they turned around, Sakura came running.

"Wait!" she breathed.

"Sakura?" Naruto turned around.

"She caught her breath in front of him and then started to cry.

"B-Bring him home, please! His one of my teammates, you can't...you can't let him go!" She cried.

Naruto smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'll bring him home for you and Konohamaru. It's a promise of a lifetime."

He released the hug and mock saluted just as he turned around. The five shinobi jumped and sprinted off into the trees, leaving Minato and Sakura at the gates.

* * *

AN:/Okay, short chapter, I know, short chapter and long wait, wahh! I'm sorry! I just figured it would be a good time to stop just before the fights because frankly, I don't remember the sound four that well since it was a long time ago and I was just a young'un (Still am!) So I need to rewatch all the episodes before I update...And I have ACT coming up (I'm sorry!) so I guess update flow will slow down...But hey, at least I didn't leave you with the last part of the Omake like I was going to do this time around! I'm nice, I know, I know. I'll have to finish that omake before the story ends so expect it some time soon.

Some clarification: Naruto's sword seal: He has a seal on his wrist that can summon his sword whenever, wherever it is. Right now, his sword seal is under maintenance because he summoned it too much during his fight with the two Hokages and Orochimaru.

* * *

Review Responses:

Zatheko: Don't tell me...NOT ANOTHER SUPERT, Nooooooo! Haha, thanks for the support on the doujutsu. Apparently not many liked it TT TT. I think I'm going to do the short story like you said. I won't do a full blown out story on the little training trip.

Killijimaru: *tears everywhere* what does it meannnnn.

SakuraFairy1990: AND I HAVE BEEN REVIVED! yes, cured of sickness...for now

Doomslayer10000: Thanks! I think Inari's prayer sounds pretty badass too...

The Keeper of Worlds: Question: A crow's Journey? Is that for sasuke? I always pictured Crows are for Itachi and hawks are for Sasuke...Anyways, thanks for the ideas, I put them in the list up top for poll.

Battle Neurosis: Thanky!

foggraven: It won't put off the shippuden, in fact, it will be like a small 20 chapter side story that I will probably update on the side...

Showtime09: Yes, Loops are fun indeed! I love doing the unexpected which I guess is why I love Naruto as a character, he's...shocking.

Damon Furey: Well, another five days added to the list? I have to say, some stories haven't updated in years! Geez, I fail to see how they can do that! Godlike Naruto doesn't exist here and the godlike opponent...isn't so godlike (Damn madara and his godlike abilities, no its not Madara)

xdevil-childx: Sorry to disappoint but today's chapter ain't much :P

demonic hellfire: I KNOW! I was so bummed out! After I updated the chapter, I went on a reading rave and came upon an old story WITH THE SAME CONCEPT! I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOO Oh god, I'm crying tears here and rocking in fetal position TT TT

Nagato: Awww, not even a chance? I feel so sad...NOT. I think this story is better off without you reading it anyways.

blair27: Confirmed: Mask man is indeed OC

Tsuukiyomi: YES~! SURPRISE ATTACK! You don't see it coming!

avengeme: No, no, I haven't forgotten ^mentioned above. I will be finishing the lovely omake.

Djflemse: I'll see what I can do!

Foxxel: CYBER CAKE! HERE! WHEN'S YOUR BIRTHDAY? I'LL DRAW YOU A CAKE ON DEVIANTART! IT'S NOT A BIRTHDAY IF THERE'S NO CAKE! Don't worry, you've got time to decide

sitrukpc: Thanks! I can't wait for their relationship either...gee, I need to stop stalling

Guest: Ikr! Tis what I was thinking

Guest: NOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THE WORD~!

sasusakuxnaruhina: Ehhhh hate to be mean but it's not memorable enough...I think...

Diablitojack: The Namikaze Legend: Inari's prayer? We'll see...I'll see what I can do about the whole godlike thing. It's not really easy to have a godlike character with development. With great physical power comes great emotional distress...hence the more godlike he is, the more emotionally broken. That's the equation when it comes to Godlike characters otherwise there isn't going to be much development.

Guest: The sequel...and maybe the last few chapters before Naruto leaves.

ExoticAngel97: Glad you got it! I'll see what I can do with the title!

mr grimjaw: you silly goose! All you guys are goin' around saying "SUPERT" WHAT DOES IT MEANNNNN

Tachibana Natsu: YOUR VOTE IS NOW TAKEN! BAM you've just sold your soul to me MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA just kidding, I'm insane

Nobody: Clearly, you're not a nobody. GET AN ACCOUNT SO I CAN THANK YOU! I didn't catch that issue (and I probably won't change it until later when I revise most of my chapters and repost them.) Thank you for reading this story in three days! Golly jeepers, you're a dedicated reader. Homonyms are difficult and I try to make my writing as accurate as possible (gee prepositions, why didn't I catch that!) Also, a lot of spelling errors are thanks to my stupid phone. I type on the Iphone and autocorrect likes to go haywire on me, then I go back and read it and I'm like "What the hell, Aerotyl" and occasionally I don't catch it. I'm only a high school student so I have no idea what college is like! *start to panic* The professors seem like harsh graders! Well, I'll try to catch my mistakes next time! Keep on reading! Hopefully, you won't have to reread the whole thing in another three days, that must be tiresome!

nighsangel: Well, wait no more! I have updated! And mostly because of you and the next reader. After your sorta belated review (most reviews come literally right after I update (and I'm not saying the other reader's reviews mean nothing)) I felt somewhat...rejuvenated. So I immediately started typing again. MOTIVATION RESTORED!

DarkBlackHeart: Oh my god, thank you! You don't know how much that means to me! No matter how many favorites, follows, or reviews I get, knowing that someone enjoy's my story means a lot to me! Haha, sometimes I reread stories like that when they update too. Glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Well, like I mentioned in the review^ YOU ALL ARE THE BEST! I love each and every one of you! My readers are my world! You guys are sexy beasts that I just want to cuddle and hug! I guess that makes you cute and adorable beasts but sexy nonetheless! I'm so happy that you are all supporting me and I hope you continue to do so in the upcoming chapters and sequels. You have no idea how much one review or follow or favorite means to me. It's like seeing a magical unicorn that brightens your day. Reason why I update=you readers. SORRY FOR THE UBER SHORT CHAPTER!

Btw: Quick question to all you readers. I'm really curious as to where you get your pen names so if you want, in the review or PM, tell me how you came up with your name? I'm really curious because some of them are really creative.

Aerotyl, over and out.**  
**


	36. Chapter 36

an:/

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY THE KEEPER OF THE WORLDS: This chapter is dedicated to you because you told me your birthday date. And as another gift aside from this chapter, I will be putting a picture on deviantart of Naruto and Sakura after the timeskip!

Sorry for not posting it yesterday. My phone/alarm was a douchebag and so I didn't wake up after my supposed hour long nap. Instead, I woke up at 2 AM. It was great that I got 8 hours of sleep but seriously? Anyways. Belated birthday gets belated gift. *hands over a cyber cake* this too, by the way.

Okay, birthday celebration over. If you want me to sing you a birthday song and give you fanart dedicated to you, give me your birthday in the reviews or by PM.

Furthermore, this chapter will be slightly confusing because the it will be skipping back and forth between the chase itself and aftermath of the chase. Review Response later:

ALSO it's an uber short chapter because it's just the fight between Sasuke and Naruto

* * *

Previously on The Namikaze Legend:

* * *

The five shinobi waited at the gates as Minato started to walk towards them. Naruto stood in full battle outfit with his sword strapped to his back. Turns out, the vast use of summoning the damn sword during the Chuunin exams caused the seal to break down a little. Naruto didn't get a chance to put it under maintenance yet hence the sword on his back rather than in a seal. Kiba stretched his arms above his head while Akamaru yipped. Shikamaru yawned and looked up to the sky while Chouji started feasting on his chips. Neji stood perfectly still next to Naruto, who was also standing like a statue.

"Well, you five," Minato started, "Bring Uchiha Sasuke home."

All five saluted and just as they turned around, Sakura came running.

"Wait!" she breathed.

"Sakura?" Naruto turned around.

"She caught her breath in front of him and then started to cry.

"B-Bring him home, please! His one of my teammates, you can't...you can't let him go!" She cried.

Naruto smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I'll bring him home for you and Konohamaru. It's a promise of a lifetime."

He released the hug and mock saluted just as he turned around. The five shinobi jumped and sprinted off into the trees, leaving Minato and Sakura at the gates.

* * *

"GET ME FIVE STRETCHERS THIS INSTANT!"

"WE NEED TO OPERATE IMMEDIATELY!"

"SOMEBODY GET THE HOKAGE!"

_"Oh my kami, five patients. All of them are in critical condition..."_

_"Who brought them back?"_

_"Some Sunagakure Genin and Hatake Kakashi..."_

_"I heard the Hokage's son was one of them."_

_"Yeah, and the other ones were part of major clans, some even clan heirs..."_

_"But one was a jounin! How did this happen?"_

_"We can probably ask after they're healed."_

_"They don't look like they can heal. Those looked fatal. Did you see the blond kid with a hole in his chest?"_

_"All because of the Uchiha Heir...It must be hard on Mikoto and Fugaku..."_

_"Both sons..."_

_"Shhh, the Hokage is here. I heard he was friends with them..."_

Minato flashed to the hospital the moment he heard the five were back. His eyes darted around, noting the main lobby was too quiet for comfort.

"Hokage-sama!"

Minato turned around to see a nurse bursting through the doors.

"This way! Hurry!"

Minato followed her as they ran down the halls towards the intensive care unit.

"Sir, all five are in critical condition-"

"My son. Is Namikaze Naruto all right?"

"He...he's the worst. He had a huge cavity in his chest."

Minato swallowed. _How did this happen?_

* * *

_A few hours back:_

Naruto jumped through the trees as he chased after the scent of Sasuke. He was close and judging by the surroundings, he was still in Hi no Kuni, just around the borders near the Valley of the End. Naruto inwardly scoffed. _What a fitting battle ground_. Of course he couldn't just let Sasuke leave without a fight. It takes a lot more to hide your chakra signature from the Kyuubi and Naruto could pinpoint the little chuunin trailing him.

Naruto came to a halt when the waterfall came in to view. A quick glance and he focused in on the little black blur at the top of Uchiha Madara's head.

"Teme!"

The blur stopped and turned around.

"Dobe..."

Naruto took swallowed as he slowly advanced. If all worked out in his plans, he could give Sasuke one last gift before the Uchiha left.

"You really plan on leaving, Sasuke?"

"Naruto? What are you-"_ what are you talking about?_

Sasuke almost flinched at the heartbroken sound of Naruto's voice, like the jounin was actually questioning why he was deflecting. It put him on edge. But the malicious smirk that grew on his sensei's face caused him to narrow his eyes.

"Sasuke...you know that little Kabuto isn't going to give you the power you want..."

"It's not power I'm after, it's revenge." If he's gonna play that way, Sasuke has to return the acting...right?

"Revenge? Please. You couldn't hurt a housefly with the power you're at...at least, not enough for_ him_..."

Sasuke growled. Naruto was taking it too far

"What do you know about _him_?"

"I know everything about him. Hokage's son has it's advantages. I know about your family. I know what he did. I know what _you_ did. Hell, I even knew his last parting words to _poor little sasuke_..."

"Shut up."

"Though he came to me before he defected. Telling me that I should join him, to defect together and kill off the rest of the Uchiha..."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"Though I have to say, if I didn't have family, I would have joined his crusade."

"SHUT UP!"

"Kill the rest of them that is, you sick, lowlife, bastards."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"What is it Sasuke? I'm not afraid of you, if that's what you're thinking. I'm jounin, you're still a little genin, barely a chuunin if you ask me. I don't even have to lift a finger against someone like you."

"You're wrong. You were there-"

"We can lie, you know. Lie for the common good. If it's to get a little shit like you out, we'd be happy to oblige"

"Naruto..."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that rogues can talk to me in such an informal way. It's Namikaze Naruto. I don't think I ever gave you the permission to call me that."

"What are you doing, Naruto? I thought that-"

"Thought what, that I'd be friends with a traitor? Who do you take me for? I have reputations..."

Sasuke choked. He stepped back.

"Naruto?" His voice went to a whisper.

"As a jounin of Konohagakure no Sato, I declare you, Uchiha Sasuke, a missing nin and hence action against the defected must take place. If you do not comply, I will be obligated to kill you...but hey, let's skip that action and say you didn't comply. There's no one around to stop me..."

Naruto charged a rasengan and flashed to Sasuke using the chain around the Uchiha's neck. Sasuke saw it coming and quickly dove to the right but was caught in a knee and was sent flying across the water.

"What's wrong, Sasuke? I thought you were getting stronger to fight Itachi."

Sasuke slowly got up from the water surface and took in gulps of air. Why was Naruto doing this? Was he betrayed by his own village? By his sensei? By his _friend_?

"Stop it!"

"Why aren't you fighting back, Sasuke?"

"Naruto, please!"

"You lack the hatred..."

Sasuke flinched. He dodged a few more fast punches and jumped away.

"Run away...run away..."

Sasuke's heart began to pound as he let out a cry of agony before charging in towards the blonde.

"...and cling onto that _pitiful_ life of yours..."

Sasuke's hand exploded into a spark of electricity as he charged towards Naruto.

"YOU FUCKER!"

Naruto flashed behind him and kicked him away.

"You aren't worth it...you never were..."

Naruto charged and started a volley of kicks. Sasuke deflected each one and was finally pushed away when Naruto sent a kick to his solar plexus. He fell to a knee before snapping his head up to reveal two eyes swirling with the Sharingan. Naruto almost flinched before charging forward, using the same routine. This time, Sasuke was able to counter and break one of Naruto's shoulder with several hits. Naruto backed away, clutching his shoulder as he winced, never leaving his eyes on Sasuke.

"Those eyes...Itachi had the mangekyou...do you even know what that is?"

Sasuke clenched his teeth and balled his fists. He charged forward with several Katon jutsus.

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!_

Naruto flashed behind the fireball, still facing Sasuke. The Uchiha then released his weights

"Kai!"

"It's useless! Do you really think you're faster than the flash's son? I know all about your training weights!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke sprinted forward at his new found speed but Naruto was right, it wasn't enough. Naruto dodged and countered, bruising Sasuke's arms as he tried to hit Naruto. Sasuke jumped back and flew through his handseals.

_Raiton: Kaminari suzume_

"I TOLD YOU, ALREADY! I FUCKING TAUGHT YOU THOSE JUTSUS! YOU REALLY THINK THEY CAN WORK AGAINST ME?"

Naruto encased his hand in wind chakra and batted the lightning sparrow with a flick of his wrist. Sasuke tentatively stepped back before jumping forward.

"I can read your movements, DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME NOW? THE UCHIHA ARE BETTER THAN THE LIKES OF YOU!"

Sasuke charged and Naruto frowned before dodging Sasuke's hits, which were getting heavier and heavier.

Sasuke inwardly frowned. What was Naruto doing? It was like he wasn't taking him seriously at all! Sasuke could tell Naruto wasn't going all out. It felt like a small spar like the usual training, nothing serious. _Nothing serious._

"DON'T FUCKING UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

In a fraction of a second, Naruto lost concentration and Sasuke found his opening, sending a chidori into the blonde's chest. Sasuke's eyes began to spin before a third tomoe appeared. Naruto clutched Sasuke's arm but slumped, clenching his teeth as he tried to focus on Sasuke's face and his whispering words.

"It's complete. I have the complete sharingan now...I'll show you, the Uchiha are lowlives, they aren't bastards, we're important to Konoha. I don't care what they say. I'll kill Itachi and regain the honor of the Uchiha clan. I'll kill you and then I'll kill Itachi."

Sasuke's eyes widened when the grip on his arm became tighter.

"Is...that all...you got? You couldn't...even scratch me..."

Sasuke backed away, attempting to take his arm out but Naruto's grip was vice. The water beneath began to shake before hundreds of clones shot out of the water and started homing in on Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes swirled and he shifted into stance despite Naruto's hold. Sasuke kawarimied just as the clones fell upon the two. Sasuke began to fight the clones several yards away from where he kawarimied, not noticing the slumped form barely above the surface of the water. All of a sudden, the clones began to pop out of existence and Sasuke felt a cold chill run through his spine. The water began to vibrate around Naruto as feral red chakra began to pour out of the chest wound, instantly healing it. The slumped form began to get up, slowly standing straight. The chakra began to encase the blonde, taking form of a fox.

"Is this one of your fox jutsus again, Naruto-sensei? You're not very original-"

"This...is the Kyuubi."

Sasuke suddenly flew back, not noticing that he was watching an after image before. Naruto growled as he let a roar rip through his throat. He appeared in front of Sasuke and grabbed a fist full of the Uchiha's shirt before ramming Sasuke into the statue of Madara, leaving a crater from the impact caving into the foot of the statue.

They were face to face as Naruto pinned Sasuke. Sasuke's sharingan noticed the red slits in Naruto's eyes. The demonic chakra encasing Naruto began to burn Sasuke as he writhed and cried in agony under the burns. Sasuke winced as he tried to look Naruto dead in the eye again.

"I don't...know...why I ever listened to you...you would never understand me...you would never know what I went through...YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ITACHI DID!"

Sasuke almost flinched when Naruto's eyes softened for a fraction of a second before returning to it's glare. He swore he was imagining it but he couldn't shake the feeling that Naruto wasn't putting his heart into this fight. A voice began to nag at the back of his head. _He doesn't take you seriously, no one does. He thinks you're not worth his time _

Sasuke violently ripped out of Naruto's hold and shoved the jounin hard against the chest, launching him back into the other side of the waterfall, embedding Naruto into Hashirama's statue. Sasuke sent enormous amounts of chakra to his shoulder.

"Sasuke! Don't!" Naruto reached out to stop Sasuke but the Uchiha only grinned with malice.

A flame pattern began to spread across Sasuke's face and his body began to morph into a grotesque form with gigantic wings shaped like hands. His skin turned a muddy brown and a cross was spread across the bridge of his nose. He outstretched his arm and began to gather chakra. It started to cackle and the sound of thousands of bird began to ring in the air. Naruto stretched his arm out too and began to create his rasengan. Naruto involuntarily swallowed as his mouth went dry.

"Do you know how Uchihas get the Mangekyou Sharingan like Itachi?..." Naruto whispered.

The two charged forward each cocked their techniques back, ready for impact. At the last moment, Naruto whispered the answer and the technique in his hand dissipated. Sasuke's eyes went wide and tried to change the angle of his technique but it was too late. The course was predetermined and his cackling arm shot straight through Naruto's heart. The blonde smiled.

* * *

"We got the blonde boy stabilized..."

"Good, we have the other four stabilized as well..."

Minato let out a sigh of relief before he slumped back into his chair. Kushina sat next to him, sleeping as the tears on her cheeks had yet to dry. Minato gently shook her out of her slumber.

"Kushina...Kushina..."

"Mmmh?" She opened her eyes slowly, wiping away any excess tears.

"They say Naruto is stabilized. He'll make it. Everything is going to be okay..."

Kushina jumped and hugged Minato.

"Thank kami." She breathed as she held tighter.

Minato hugged back and rubbed her back.

"I know..."

* * *

_a few hours back:_

Sasuke looked at the motionless body in front of him. The pool of blood surrounded the blonde, spreading like wildfire. A few drops of water fell on Sasuke's shoulder before the downpour began. It was raining; the sky was crying. Sasuke dropped to his knees in front of Naruto before he cried out, letting his tears blend into the raindrops. Soon, the clear water that rolled down his face began to turn blood red, his eyes began to spin into a pair of inverted mangekyou sharingan with three intersecting ellipses.

_You kill your best friend._

* * *

an:/ Okay short chapter. Well, I guess short in my definition but normal in terms of this story. Naruto didn't die obviously, I'm not gonna kill him again. But Sasuke believes that and as long as he believes that the mangekyou will manifest

I didn't include the fights between the sound four+Kimimaro and Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Neji, and Lee+Gaara & co. because it goes canon and I don't have the creativity nor time to write it all out.

DEVIANT ART NAME: Aerotyl

If you wanna check out the preview of what Naruto and Sakura look like, I just posted several pictures on my deviant art. One of the pictures I posted is Sakura and Naruto in the timeskip, well, Sakura and the back of Naruto lol. It's a birthday gift for Keeper of Worlds. I will be posting more pictures at another time.

HAVE YOU FREAKING SEEN THE NEW FANFICTION LAYOUT! WHAT DA FUC- of course you've seen it...you're on it BUT IT ISN'T KINDA WEIRD AND UNUSUAL! YES IT IS...DON'T LIE

Spring break is here for me so...new chapter soon?

* * *

Review Responses:

The Keeper of Worlds: I'm sorry I missed your birthday by a day TT TT. I love Kingdom Hearts too! hey hey heyyyy. You get fanart and a chapter dedicated to you...and perhaps a one shot...later

SakuraFairy 1990: Yeah, Naruto knows and you're gonna see how he felt next chapter! I think your name is creative. It adds a personal touch to it. Your backstory behind it isn't boring so the name obviously isn't either! I used to have a cherry blossom tree in front of my old out but we had to take it down...and then we had to move TT TT

xdevil-childx: Yup Yip

Showtime09: Movies are inspiring indeed, which movie were you watching? or do you not remember? If you graduated in 09 does that mean you're a college senior now or something of the likes? Everyone's older than me! DX

DarkBlackHeart: I...agree ;)

Zatheko: I agree with the Inari thing. yesssss

Killijimaru: NOOOO ARE YOU TRYING TO DRIVE ME UP A WALL WITH INSANITY?! Narusaku comes up nextttttttt

Battle neurosis: Wait till you read this chapter hahaha..ha...this is horrible, they're all too short

Tsuukiyomi: I'M NOT YOUNG...okay maybe...fine, I'm pretty young BUT THAT'S BESIDES THE POINT! Lol, I have no idea why Sakura or Konohamaru can't know but they just can't...maybe I'll find an excuse and put it in the next chapter...we'll see

Typrophecy: Or does it have something to do with your name?...just kidding. I'm more likely to do something with Inari. I know there's a prophecy with Naruto but I feel like it just doesn't blend

Foxxel: I don't like tomatoes NO WAIT KUSHINA, I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE TH-AGKENRDKS NKALFJ sorry, Kushina just face planted me into the keyboard. Carrying on...Well, foxy foxxel, your name looks awesome, and nesie sounds like nessie like the lochness monster...just putting it out there...anyways

Degevron: Aww thanky ^.^ *blush* I'll see what I can do with the training trip. Undoubtedly yours, Aerotyl

entityoffire: Thanks?

Guest: I think I should check myself into an asylum BECAUSE THIS APPEARED ON MY OTHER STORIES! WHAT THE HELL DOES SUPERT MEAN GODDAMN!

AwesomeSauce: Next chapter...yup yup, just wait for it

Guest: Alrighty then, opinion taken accounted for...

Killijimaru:...DIDN'T YOU ALREADY REVIEW BEFORE HOLY CRAP NO SUPERT! washroom? Area of creativity? Definitely a creative place to be creative...

Guest: Really? God ACT are gonna freak me out. I totally forget what standardized test are like too. Ask me about the SAT right after I take them and I'll just sit out there with my tongue stuck out, drooling as I stare off into space. Hahahaha...and the laughter dies down into sobs.

* * *

NARUSAKU NEXT CHAPTER OH YEAH just wait for it guys...

Aerotyl over and out.


	37. Chapter 37

AN:/ I am painfully aware that I have been unable to update in this past week...and I was unable to prank you guys yesterday. As a matter of fact, I wasn't able to prank anybody because I was alone at home, spending my spring break been a lazy ass playing video games (finished Tomb Raider and to any of you gamers, I recommend it...10/10). Regardless, there are a few things I want to clear up.

Mangekyou Sharingan: A few of you have mentioned that if Sasuke ever sees Naruto, his Mangekyou Sharingan that he has, oh so recently, achieved will disappear. What? WHat? WHAHT? HAHAHAHAHA okay guys. I read the wikia, and it mentioned nothing of the sort. Even if it was true, my fic, my rules, the technique is here to stay, regardless of the truths revealed.

I have also noticed that this fic has taken a sudden dark turn. Oh dear, I have never intended that and, sadly, due to my poor organization skills and lack of future planning, it has occurred to me that this fanfic is just not what it used to be *starts to sob uncontrollably* SO, I will be taking a new approach on this thing. Perhaps I should get a Beta too...Nevertheless, I won't indulge you in my silly ways because it would probably come out in a garbled mess, just like my thought process. Just for now, I will give a slight agenda for you guys.

To do list before the sequel comes out:

Finish that damn omake godammit.

The NaruSaku too you stupid author

Get Naruto out of the freaking village

What the hell is Konohamaru doing right now?

What is Minato going to do about the baddies?

Good heavens, would you look at that list. Extra long...

* * *

Naruto slowly clenched his muscles as he flexed and relaxed, never moving from his current position as he waited for the chakra signature in his room to disappear. His eyes darted beneath his eyelids as he kept his breathing even and deep. A few metal clanks on a tray and the signature disappeared to the halls. The cool breeze set the room on a somewhat relaxed atmosphere and curtains blew inwards, giving the room an ethereal look. Until, that is, Naruto snapped his eyes open and shot up, yanking the blanket off of him and darting out of the open window. Like hell he was staying in the freaking hospital for another day! He jumped from roof to roof, not caring if the wind blew right through his hospital gown. He quickly made his way to the Ichiraku stand and plopped himself on a stool, nursing his stomach as the loud growls of hunger reached his ears.

"5 Miso Ramen, Jiji!" Naruto called out.

"Ah, Naruto-kun! I see you've escaped the hospital again."

Naruto scrunched his face before giving in to a wide grin.

"They can search for me all they want. But, I'm not spending another minute in that damned place!"

Teuchi placed the first ramen bowl in front of Naruto and the blonde quickly dug in. Teuchi leaned back and started to work on the second bowl. It was odd seeing the blonde jounin like this. The boy was normally serious and uptight but when he was at Ichiraku's, it was like a whole new personality. Not that the man was complaining or anything. The blonde's "split" personality was rather charming and welcoming. Teuchi turned back to his ramen right before he heard a yelp.

"S-Sakura!"

"Na-ru-to-sen-sei! What are you doing outside of the hospital!? You were due to stay for another three days!"

"S-Sakura, I was just eating-ttebayo" _When did she get so scary?_

"'-ttebayo'? What's that, Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto flinched and he suddenly looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. And stop calling me sensei, what did I say-"

"Don't avoid the question! What's '-ttebayo'?"

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear anythin-OW, ow, ow, ow, let go!"

Naruto was tugged up by the ear and Sakura stepped back as she watched her sensei get pulled up by a red head.

"Na-ru-to, what do you think you're doing outside of the hospital?"

"K-Kaa-san...h-how ya doin'?" Naruto choked out as he blanched. The sight of the Red Hot Habanero angry was enough to make him shake. Sakura only crossed her arms and watched as the scene unfold in front of her. Drowning out the sounds of Kushina scold her son, Sakura turned to see Rin and Rei walk next to her.

"Rin-sensei, Rei sensei! Good afternoon!"

"What's going on-oh...Naruto escaped the hospital again, didn't he..." Rei crossed her arms and scowled. Rin and Sakura only gave an exasperated sigh as Kushina continually berated Naruto.

* * *

"S-Sakura-chan~! You should defended me!" Naruto whined as he clung onto Sakura's arm, drooping to the floor.

"Naruto. You know you shouldn't leave the hospital and as a medic nin in training, I cannot have you breaking the rules!"

"But-But-But it's so boring~!"

"Stop acting like a little child! You're a jounin for kami sakes! Jounins are mature gentlemen! Act like one!"

Suddenly Naruto leaned onto Sakura, towering over her by several inches. He then whispered.

"Only if you want me to, _hime-sama_."

Sakura squeaked in terror before Naruto's weight was suddenly ripped off her. Naruto started to giggle like a maniac while he was held by the collar by Kakashi.

"Hatake-san!" Sakura cried out in relief.

"Sorry, Sakura. He's currently on a heavy dosage of medication at the moment. The only reason why he's still conscious is because of a little...bloodline."

Sakura's eye narrowed but she shrugged it off, but not letting the blush leave her face.

"T-take him back to the h-hospital, please. He's in no con-condition to be walking around."

Kakashi only gave her an eye smile before grabbing the giggling blonde who was now singing at the top of his lungs.

"I'M A BARBIE GIRL, IN A BARBIE WOR-HORLD, LIFE IN PLASTIC, IT'S FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC, YOU CAN BRUSH MY HAIR, UNDRESS ME EVERYWHE-"

The singing was cut off when the silver haired jounin decided he had enough and shunshined the two away from confused and scared citizens. Sakura pressed her hand against her chest in hopes of calming her heart that was pounding a thousand beats per minute.

"That...that was too close..." she gasped out.

She headed home in hopes of forgetting the event with the blonde earlier that day.

* * *

Naruto clutched his head and suddenly realized he was back in his hospital room.

"Shit!" When did I get back here?

He rose up and started his way back towards the window before a voice cut him short.

"Not advised, Naruto-kun."

"Kakashi-sensei?"

The silver haired jounin rose from his seat and gave Naruto an eye-smile.

"You've been given the same medicine as yesterday. Unless you plan to embarrass yourself a second time, stay put for a while."

"E-embarrass myself? W-what did I do?" Naruto began to inwardly panic.

"Oh, nothing serious. Just broke out of the hospital, ate some ramen before being scolded by your mom. Then you started rubbing yourself all over your student, Haruno Sakura," Naruto blanched and inwardly cursed but the list continued. "Then you started singing at the top of your lungs. I tried to shunshin us out but you pinched my shoulder, making me lose my concentration. So we ended up in the market place where you terrorized the shop keepers. I think at one point, you started bowing to a cat like it was a deity or something, yelling how it was going to prophesize the next time you were going to get ramen. Then you started howling at the sun. At that point, I thought you had enough fun and finally pulled a successful shunshin, bringing you back here where you were sedated several times while being pinned down by 5 jounin and three medics. All of this while you were yelling the 99 bottles of beer song. I think you got to the number two before you passed out."

Naruto slammed his hand onto his forehead and whipped around before faceplanting himself into his pillow. He let out a string of colorful curses. He suddenly lifted his head and asked.

"Wait, if I was on medication, how come I felt okay at first?"

"It took 30 minutes to take effect. Right now, you have 10 minutes before your medicine takes effect this time around."

A knock on the door was heard and both jounins whipped their heads to the door. It opened slowly, revealing pink hair that stuck out.

"Ano...Naruto?"

"Sakura?"

She slowly entered and looked rather suspicious of her former teacher.

"You okay now? Or are you going to flip out like you did yesterday?" She asked warily.

Naruto grimaced before responding.

"I'm fine...for now...Anyways, what's the matter?"

"I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you didn't go insane on me." She smiled.

Kakashi cut in.

"I'd hate to break it to you, Sakura, but Naruto has taken his medication and will be experiencing something rather...similar to yesterday's episode. He has about five minutes at this point. It would be wise if you stepped out before you get glomped."

Sakura turned scarlet as she nodded vehemently.

"O-Okay, I'll just visit some other time then. Naruto, get better soon!"

She quickly dashed out of the room and Naruto slumped against the headboard.

"Why did you have to scare her away? I'm feeling perfectly fine."

"Mhhmm." Kakashi hummed, eyes never peeling away from his literature. Naruto's expression turned sour.

"You're not listening, you perve."

"Mhhmm."

"Asshole." He muttered as he slid down the headboard and plopped his head against the pillow. This is boring.

* * *

Minato frowned at the sky high stack of paperwork sitting on his desk. He sighed with despair before finally coming to a conclusion that Shinobis aren't meant for paperwork, and that's final. He glared holes on the stack, hoping that it wasn't a figure of speech and that the papers actually grew holes, holes hopefully big enough to cease its existence. Acquiescently realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere, he grabbed the top most paper and began to stamp away, signing his name occasionally above the dotted line. He felt his heart sink lower as his assistant bursted through the door with another heavy stack of paper.

"Hokage-sama, paperwork- I hope you're not slacking."

"I'm not, it's fine." He waved his hand, hoping to persuade the lady that he wasn't just staring at the paper not too long ago. She gave a dubious look before turning heel and leaving Minato in his own vices. He sighed again and slammed the stamp on a paper before starting his pace again. While the monotonous pace of his hand stamped away, he lost himself in thought.

He was running into a few issues, which was made clear during the chuunin exams. He had to sigh in relief, knowing that the casualties were a lot lower than they could've been. It wasn't a surprise attack but they were caught off guard nonetheless. Minato also felt glad that Orochimaru was finally taken care of but given the fact that a stronger opponent took him and Orochimaru out, was more than bad news.

He frowned. His son mentioned a prophecy. Or, a prophecy given by the stranger. He was rather skeptical but having some sort of insight, regardless of source, of the future was rather hard to ignore. However, if this man could take care of a jounin and a kage, clearly this man was cut above. He frowned again. He'll have to train harder. Where he is now isn't enough. He ceased his stamping and leaned back in his chair. This man wasn't his only problem too. The Akatsuki was hot on Naruto's tail and knowing one of them was the one who released the Kyuubi on Konoha was rather concerning.

This left one option and exactly one option only. Send his son off to get stronger while under the protection of a Sannin, perhaps even two if he was lucky. His son was strong, but he hasn't been able to use some of his higher class jutsus on, well, anything. Even given the opportunity during the chuunin exams, Naruto didn't use a whole lot of his jutsus and frankly, the boy's fuuinjutsu needed work. Some of Naruto's seals were works of art, but there were some that were downright sloppy. A vein popped on his forehead. And after all those calligraphy lessons he put through that boy when he was younger, Naruto still had one of the sloppiest handwritings in Konoha! All the proof was in the mission reports that the child jounin turned in. If it wasn't for his prior experience to the chicken scratch, Minato wouldn't be able to read the boy's reports.

"Damned boy." Minato growled.

He had to watch out for the future because, right now, it didn't look so bright.

* * *

Sakura stood outside of the hospital room as he heard Naruto's voice ring through the halls.

"NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, NINETY NINE BOTTLES OF BEE~R, YOU TAKE ONE DOWN, PASS IT 'ROUND, NINETY FOUR BOTTLES OF BEER!"

"Naruto-kun, you counted wrong." A silver jounin chimed in.

"BAHAHAAHAHAHA THE GREAT NAMIKAZE UZUMAKI NARUTO NEVER COUNTS WRONG. IT'S ALL YOU HEATHENS THAT COUNT INCORRECTLY, CRAZY FOOL!"

Sakura grimaced before entering the room, ignoring the loud protests of the nurses currently holding the blonde down.

"Haruno, please step away."

"HARUNO? SAKURA-CHAN IS HERE?- OW!"

Suddenly everything went quiet and the nurses visibly relaxed, relenting their hold as the blonde's eyelids slowly drooped.

"S-Sakura. Sorry." The voice was mellow and the boy could barely say anything above a hoarse whisper.

Sakura rushed over after the nurses left. Kakashi took his leave and with a small salute, he was gone with a pile of leaves. She kicked the leaves a little before she sat at his bedside and crossed her arms.

"Mou. Naruto! You got to be more careful! You're still healing!"

"Sorry Sakura."

"It's okay. I understand you're boredom-"

"No Sakura. I'm not talking about that." He rasped out

Sakura's eyes shot wide and she looked at Naruto.

"Then, what for?"

"I-I didn't bring Sasuke back like you wanted."

Sakura visibly flinched but Naruto didn't catch it as his vision began to blur. His words began to slur as his tongue didn't cooperate

"I'll bring him back home whenever you want. I just- I failed you this time and I failed my promise to you..."

Sakura tried to protest but Naruto only continued.

"I won't fail my promise. Just-just wait for me, okay?"

"Naruto! I don't-"

But before Sakura could finish her sentence, Naruto slumped into a deep slumber and Sakura wilted back into her seat.

"-I don't care about that promise. I just don't want you hurt again." She whispered.

She raised her hand up to his hair, ready to ruffle the blond spikes, but stopped a few inches away in hesitance. His breath tickled the palm of her hand and she retracted it, settling her hand on his shoulder before slipping away to go back home.

* * *

An:/ Wow, I promised NaruSaku and this is what you get? Geezus, that was disappointing. Okay, I geddit. It wasn't really the Narusaku you were hoping for. I'm just...not really that adept at bringing relationships about. Sorry for my rather noobish ways, but I'm a really thick headed person that won't realize someone likes me until they yell it at my face, making moves be damned, I won't acknowledge someone crushing on to me. Anyways. But you do see the relationship coming about, right? Kinda? No? Still stagnant? Okay *wilts away into the corner*

OKAY THEN! I PROMISE NEXT TIME THEY'LL AT LEAST DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE THAT CAN BE CALLED NARUSAKU MOMENT~!

If you have any ideas on how to come about this moment, SHARE WITH ME BEFORE I SUBMIT MYSELF TO WRITERS BLOCK AND NOT UPDATE FOR ANOTHER MONTH. Was that blackmail? That was blackmail...XD just kidding about the threat, but seriously, I'm not going to be able to get this thing going easily...and here I said I would get this story done for the sequel in time. Well, just kidding. I suck, I know. I'm a horrible person. Bare with me?

* * *

Review Responses! HOLY SMOKES I MISSED SO MANY REVIEWS WHAT THE ACTUAL FUC-ehm anyways:

* * *

manduderaw: ARGH NOT YOU TOO! Those gentlemen be blundering about? Haha, can't say I didn't try

btalover: Aw thanky! Hope you got to chapter 35/6/7 just in time to see this review response! keep-a-goin'!

Doomslayer10000: I know! TT TT *sobs uncontrollably for an hour* and this one too! Haha, Naruto is the next Jiraiya launcher, search for your very own in stores near you. XD

Djflemse: Aw noes! I've already decided the sequel's name TT TT thank you so much for all the suggestions though. They were really good, and I really liked them! Thank you so much for loving this story, it means a lot to me! No problem about the response because you just got another one! Haha, so get used to it!

Guest: TT TT I know...I know...I'm a crappy author right? It's not really easy writing about romance when you've never experienced it yourself hahaha

Guest: Read Guest response above...sorry?

Princegoku: Bahaha, yeah, Sakura crying over Sasuke. It was mostly because Sakura feels that her entire team is her family, losing one of them is enough to make her cry. It's kinda like losing a brother? Regardless, I have to say I agree that I slightly made Sakura a bit emotional here...let's just say she's pmsing, alright? Hhaha just ignore me.

Tetra Curse: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YES wait whut.

yayouyo: **You know what...that's it. For a week (a month after the opening of the sequel), I will freaking put SUPERT in the title for the hell of it, to appease you all hahaha.**

Guy Next Door: Don't make me come over next door and bang on your door, play annoying music at 4:00 AM, and practice my terrible violin skills at night until you tell me what the hell Supert means! GEEZUS

Supert History: Cripes. .Hell.

Princegoku: Again? haha just kidding. Anyways, I don't think I will mix the level three and the sage mode together. Just like how Naruto is currently keeping the kyuubi mode and the sage mode separately in the manga and anime. He has learned summoning...for foxes. As for frogs? Have I? I don't really remember...better read my own story I guess, holy crap, I'm a horrible author

WestAero13: I don't know how to say this to you...It's hard for me as it's going to be hard on you, but I will give them some bonding time later, but it's not going to end well. Let's leave it at that. Don't hate me?

manduderaw: I'm going to tear my hair out and burn it before feeding it to a shark and making that shark into sushi before eating it. **My frustration knows no bounds WHAT THE HELL IS SUPERT**

Damon Furey: You too!? Dear god someone light me on fire. Name has been decided already! XP sorry. Inari's Prayer. Matt Damon is freggin awesome. I mean the whole bourne identity? freaking bamf. Too bad there's hawkeye in his place, the dude should stick with arrows and leave the bourne to the Damon. I've never heard of Vampirates before, Indulge for me please?

Zatheko: Naruto did not go all out. I was hoping a majority of my readers got that because having Sasuke achieve the Mangekyou was his plan all along. Sorry for the lack of Narusaku here! I promised it and I failed TT TT

SakuraFairy1990: Yup Yup, Sasuke needs a hug *proceeds to enter anime world and glomps Sasuke and quickly leaves before taking a chidori to the chest* Whoops, wrong sasuke. Naruto doesn't work for T& I...but he should, that little tricky bastard XD

Diablitojack: Naruto was being dark, as well as being a total ass. Which of course was my intention but meh. Sage will be given to Naruto...due time, due time. Sasuke was giving MS because I didn't like the idea of him getting it from Itachi (that's where he got it right? I'm not imagining things?)** Because in this fic...ITACHI IS AS GOOD AS A FREAKING ANGEL just like in the anime, which means LIKE HELL HE'S GOING TO DIE! I cried my eyes out when that happened, I'm not doing it again when I type it up**

Showtime09: Ah, I see. Well, your birthday has been documented into my Iphone, expect a gift! Either a chapter or a drawing. Sasuke did believe Naruto during the fight. Shippuden will come...soon? Haha, I have no definite day or chapter because it all depends on how fast I can develop Sakura and Naruto's relationship...which might take a while.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: "LIAR~!" Sakura and Naruto yelled at the top of their lungs. Haha just kidding. It happens to me all the time. Sometimes I even have to stop and help an old lady cross the street with her groceries. Bah, well, people just don't seem to believe me! Thank you for the compliment!

God Emperor Of GAR-halla: I was not aware that I was making Kushina an over protective shrew. Who is Chi-Chi? Character Derailment? Plain? Simple? THIS IS TOO COMPLEX MY MIND JUST EXPLODED SHIIIII- okay just kidding but please, do explain.

avengeme: yeah...kyuubi mode...outta the picture for a long time ^.^ maybe sage mode...but I'm not really rooting for it during the training trip. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on killing Jiraiya for the sole purpose of letting Naruto learn, but I'm just not feeling it for sage mode...I'm 50/50 on that one.

oksus: I have confirmed, MS does not disappear...at least not in this fic

The Keeper of Worlds: Oh stop it you, you're making me blush o/o

devil M: Well, wait no longer!

CzarAndrew: You, my friend and reader, are a genius. Well, I try to leave some aspects to the reader for imagination...or I'm just being pure lazy as to not actually finding any reason. I just figured they didn't really need to know because this was a rather high class mission that, if compromised, could lead to a lot of complications. Konohamaru and Sakura aren't the best secret keepers...nee?

Mirageking: There will be a note explaining everything...in the next chapter...teehee

Exwindzz: Chapter 14? I'm too lazy to check what Minato agreed with! Urgh, curse my spring break lazy disease

Foxxel: Oh great nessie, you majestic sea creature! XD Sasuke is..bah, everything will be explained in next chapter. Sasuke needs a bit o' lovin' so let's go hug him! *glomps* Sasuke: What the hell do you think you're doing!? Aerotyl: Sharing my love to you! *clasps on tight* Sasuke: Let go you idiot! Aerotyl: No! *Sasuke pushes Aerotyl off by the face and quickly runs away* Aerotyl: Wait! Come back! *wails* my relationship with sasuke in a nutshell XD

Ammai Hardinata: Short comment or not, It's magnificent! I cherish every comment no matter the length! Besides, it's not the shortest comments received (give a heated glare to those "supert story" buffoons) Thanks for loving my story!

Damon Furey: I'M SORRY I RESPONDED TO IT HERE DON'T CRY DON'T CRY PLEASE PLEASE *starts to panic, rushing around trying to calm you* urbandictionary: I KNOW!** SOMEONE GO MAKE IT NOW! GET ME AN URBANDICTIONARY DEFINITION OF SUPERT! Supert: the most annoying thing that ever plagued the author, Aerotyl, as dozens of reviewers constantly get on her nerves with the weirdest word that ever crossed the earth!** Summary right there, job done. Sasuke needs the lovin' gotta give it to him. NaruSaku this chapter? *starts to cry* Keep being awesome? *blushes* oh stop it you!

demonic hellfire: Yeah, smart move indeed...smart move made by the author *eyes glint* Sasuke: Oh shut it, Aerotyl. Don't let it get to your already inflated ego. Aerotyl: But Suke-chan~ I am smart! Sasuke: STFU! Aerotyl: *cries in corner*

Doomslayer10000: MS WILL NEVER LEAVE! IT'S FOREVER, IT'S ETERNAL, haha no pun intended. Narusaku moment? *cries again*

TertiusArmada: Short chapter again. Maybe I'm just a lazy ass? But yeah, I did feel that the lot of you would be bored with another "Sasuke, I'll bring you back" "Leave me alone loser" "no!" "Chidori!" "Rasengan!" *epic explosion leading to Naruto on floor* (insert emotional distress of Naruto not being able to save Sasuke) typical format :)

entityoffire: Naruto was acting like a nutjob, hint the acting part. *wink wink* Sasuke is sent to spy on Kabuto and hopefully the mystery man.

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: NO CANON SASUKE! I'D RATHER DIE THAN MAKE HIM CANON AGAIN. Naruto was planning something, revealed in next chapter so wait. I DON'T HATE YOU! WAIT COME BACK! LET ME LOVE YOU!

Killijimaru: Can I just...I don't even- what the fuc-I don't want to know *proceed to kill myself* *quickly revives oneself and clears throat* Congrats on the MCAT, man! You're in med school now? PARTY TIME! *takes out confetti and throws it while frolocking about* CELEBRATION!

Tsuukiyomi: Yeah, Naruto didn't actually die. Kyuubi helped heal. Just think of it like the canon. But then Sasuke got MS because, this time around, Sasuke really bonded with Naruto so the supposed death of the blond held a lot of weight on Sasuke. Excuses? Aerotyl: 1 Lame excuses: 0 *raises left hand and proceeds to high five oneself*

ExoticAngel97: Oooohhh which country were you at? Oh your words are making me blush o/o too kind, too kind

shadowmaster0304: hahaha *laughter dies down to a sob* next chapter bro, next chapter

Skye Izumi: It improves! I swear! Don't lose interest! Just kidding, we already went over this. You're still reading, right? *smiles megawatt grin* Anko rules a lot...she's just another bamf I love

Guest: Dear god.

Guest: Pathetic you say? The length of your review is what's pathetic numbnuts *heart*

Somebuyfromthe1600s: Nice name btw, and yeah, Naruto is just not himself without having the little accessory of a Chidori Scar XD A weird chapter indeed...and I'm also tired XD

Killijimaru: What are you on, man? Haha just kidding, you remind me of what I'm like on caffeine! I loved the stories! I loved the last one. I think it's a real knee slapper XD Thanks for the break down of SUPERT it was really helpful *deadpans*

Guest: Oh thanky

WalkingStranger99: Yes yes...Naruto better keep on flashing or the ladies gon get him...that little perverted trickster

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I WAS UP TILL 2:00AM (AND I HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW) UPDATING THIS FOR Y'ALL, SO BE HAPPY! I was eating miso ramen (instant of course) so I felt so in the mood for updating...felt connected to Naruto, ya know?

Spent a lot of time on tumblr so (had to delete it because of a hacker! Yeah, deleting it was rather over the top but I just restarted. If you want me to follow you, tell me your blog name in the review!)(Also started Homestuck...shout out to the homestuck fans)...sorry for the delayed chapter that is extremely short. I guess this chapter is mostly for review responses and a transition.

Sorry for not responding to the reviews! Apparently I was a total jackass and missed...a lot.

Alright you little supert butt faces...IMA FIND YOU! *starts running in screaming like a maniac*

Radio queues in:_ Aerotyl over an out. _


	38. Chapter 38

An:/ Hiya, guys! I have reread my entire story, noting the ridiculous spelling and grammar errors. I did say I was putting this story under renovation...right? And I have yet to get at that. I have six active stories at the moment that I haven't finished or haven't started. So, don't mind me as I make the updates even slower (perhaps once a week)...plus, April is really busy month, just like all the previous months bahahahaha. So, I'm currently trying to update as fast as possible while the month is young.

There will be freggin' narusaku here...or at least the damn introduction to Naruto's feelings.

* * *

Naruto lounged in his hospital bed, counting the ridges in the ceiling and watching the ceiling fan rotate perpetually. He rolled his head to the side to see a blue vase with a bouquet of tiger lilies. The open window beckoned him but alas, he couldn't move. He couldn't move because his mother had handcuffed him to the bed without a lockpick in sight, let alone any small enough object that could serve as a lockpick and break him free. He frowned. A familiar chakra signature stopped at the doorway. He sat up, scowling at the chakra enforced metal handcuffs on his wrists. He looked up at the door again.

"Reno, pleasant surprise to see you. Are you here to set me free? Or just annoy me to death?"

"Dammit I can't sneak up on you anymore!" The green clad teen entered the room, free of crutches.

"You..." Naruto lost his words as he saw Reno walk in perfectly.

"...can walk? I know." Reno shrugged.

"Does that mean-"

"No. I can walk, but the ninja stuff is still outta reach."

Naruto looked away in shame.

"Hey, Naru-shit, don't look that way, I can walk now!"

Reno jumped for good measure before settling at the edge of Naruto's bed. He calmed himself before looking at the blonde.

"So, I heard about your student."

"..."

"It's not your fault-"

"It is. I probably said some really rude things to him there."

Reno frowned.

"Really? Is that all there is?"

"I promised my students that I would bring him back, knowing that I couldn't in the first place."

Reno didn't question. Somehow he knew this was deeper than an average ninja gone rogue.

"I heard the Uchihas are taking it rough."

Reno immediately blanched as Naruto got even more depressed.

"Y-you know what? I know what to get your mind outta the dumps."

Naruto only looked up. Reno only grinned.

"...Girls."

Naruto's small form of hope that Reno might actually have an answer withered away and burned itself immediately and Naruto only glared. Reno only shrugged it off and continued his rant.

"Come on, Naruto. They're the perfect distractions! Just imagine the figures!" Reno started to run his hands down imaginary curves.

"I don't need to hear about your personal escapades with Rei, Reno. Please, shut up." Naruto deadpanned.

"Hey, don't give me that look. You and your little orange book! Don't tell me you'd rather settle for paper than the real deal!" Reno exclaimed.

"I don't feel comfortable having this discussion with you, Reno. Drop. It!" Naruto growled but Reno only continued.

"So what's your type? Blonde? Brunette? Maybe redheads? Or perhaps...a_ pinkette_?"

The hospital room was suddenly filled with violent coughs and hacks as the blonde choked on his spit.

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!?" Naruto yelled.

Reno only leaned away from the crazed blonde and smiled.

"Come on, Naruto. You're the same age and I have to say, she'll probably look drop dead gorgeous in a few years. Catch her early before you have competition."

Naruto felt heat rise to his face as he sputtered.

"G-going after a s-student is in-inappropriate conduct!" He pointed accusingly at Reno. Reno only smirked.

"Is the teacher-student status really enough to hold you back?"

"O-Of course it is!"

"Come on, Naruto! You're 13! You're gonna start to feel something for girls, right?!"

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Naruto gritted out, his scarlet face never changing shades.

Reno leaned back and bursted out laughing before they heard a knock on the door. Naruto immediately recognized the signature and was about to yell to stop but the door already creaked open and pink locks of hair popped out from the door frame followed by the face of Haruno Sakura. Naruto visibly paled.

"Naruto? Renosuke-san?" Sakura peered behind the door.

"S-Sakura...Haha- pleas-pleasant surprise to see you here!" Naruto stuttered out.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

_She'll probably look drop dead gorgeous in a few years._

Naruto felt like his face was on fire as his eyes averted Sakura's green stare.

Reno caught on and his eyes glinted with pure evil as he saw Naruto's red face.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Y-you need anything?"

Sakura stared incredulously at Naruto before smiling.

"Just checking on you. Don't want you going on another drug episode and cling onto random people."

"T-That was just once!" Naruto pointed indignantly. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Mhmm, well. You've got Renosuke-san. I'll go now. Bye, Naruto!"

"B-bye, Sakura"

Reno's evil grin only grew wider as the door clicked shut and Naruto just sat there, looking at the door with a flushed face.

"Damn, you're on a first name basis _with your student_. _That's_ what I'm talking about."

"This...this is ALL YOUR DAMN FAULT!" Naruto exploded.

"So...you kinda like her, I take it?"

Reno quickly leaned away as a leg swiped near his face in an attempt to kick his nose in.

"I take that as a yes."

"MUBIRA FUCKING RENOSUKE!"

Reno chuckled while leaving Naruto in the room to his own vices when a Nurse bursted in complaining about the commotion.

* * *

Naruto smiled darkly as he looked at the now broken handcuffs in his lap. The stupid nurse left a needle by his bedside and Naruto, being the typical skilled ninja he is, used it to break himself out. Crafty little bastard he is. He looked at the open window and quickly sprinted out.

"LIKE HELL I'M STAYING THERE FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS AND SUBJECT MYSELF TO VISITS FROM ASSHOLES!" He yelled as he jumped from roof to roof. He decided to make his way over to the Akimichi restaurant. Going to Ichiraku's was too obvious and he would be found easily. Besides, although the Akimichi don't serve ramen, their barbeque is well known around Hi no Kuni.

He entered and found a seat with Reno and Rei. He tried to avoid the two but Reno caught sight of him and waved enthusiastically.

"Naru-shit!"

Rei glared holes into Naruto as he made his way over.

"I see you broke out of the hospital again, even with the handcuffs" Rei added sourly.

"Can't blame me, Rei. I can't stand it there. Besides, I had your boyfriend, here, submit me to torture-"

"Speaking of torture, Naruto, quick, 3 o'clock." Reno whispered. Instinctively Naruto looked in the direction and made eye contact with a pair of jade green eyes. He snapped back to Reno and Rei and whacked Reno across the head.

"You prick!" He hissed.

Rei just watched, confused as to what was happening as Reno chuckled. Naruto's spine made a resonating crack as it straightened violently when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto?"

The blonde turned to the voice and smiled nervously.

"S-Sakura...h-hey..."

The pinkette narrowed her eyes.

"You broke out of the hospital again. Any particular reason I shouldn't drag your sorry ass back to the hospital?"

Naruto only looked to the side, avoid the gaze of the girl in front of him. He settled on a spot on the ceiling, swallowing the remaining spit in his dried mouth. Why the hell was he feeling this way? He was freaking Namikaze Naruto, child prodigy, son of the Yondaime, why the hell can't he make eye contact with his student?

_So...you kinda like her, I take it?_

His face flushed scarlet.

"U-uh."

"Look at me, Naruto." Sakura scowled.

Naruto looked at her face and settled on her nose.

"Look at me, Naruto! Not my freaking nose!"

Naruto gulped again and slowly trailed his eyes to meet hers but quickly averted it as he felt his heart pound erratically against his chest. The strange sound of his sped up heartbeat rung in his ears. Naruto was inwardly panicking at his heart rate. _I should go to the doctor before I go into cardiac arrest, this is unhealthy, not normal, and I'm sure I have some sort of health problem._

Sakura sighed in defeat.

"Well, I'll give you today off. But I better see you at the hospital after this lunch, okay?"

Naruto only gave a quick nod before shunshining away, not giving Sakura a second look. Sakura only frowned. Was he avoiding her?

Reno and Rei only watched the two amusingly. Rei quickly caught on during the conversation and was extremely amused at her ex-teammate's turmoil.

Sakura bowed to Reno and Rei before making her exit.

* * *

Naruto sat on the Hokage monument, taking in the skyline of Konoha. He spent roughly 5 hours just sitting there, a slight shade of pink coloring his cheeks as his eyes glazed over. His heart had calmed down but his mind was still on cloud nine. Unaware of his euphoric state, Naruto just openly gazed to the city in front of him, not absorbing anything. A squirrel snapped a twig nearby, almost causing the jounin to crap his pants.

"Sonovabit-" Naruto flinched but calmed down, realizing he was in no immediate danger.

Naruto sighed heavily and slumped.

"Dammit." He hissed.

He felt like a dam had crashed and suddenly a wave of unwanted feelings crashed down on him. Feelings for his own student.

_But are they really 'unwanted'?_

_..._

_Of course they are!_ Naruto gritted his teeth and brought his legs close to him, resting his forehead on his knees. He shouldn't feel this way at all. If it wasn't for that stupid idiot, he wouldn't be in this position, would he. Reno didn't say much but it all came crashing down on the blonde anyway. What was it anyway? Pent up feelings? Did he feel this way before but only subconsciously blocked it away?

Naruto growled and banged his head on his knees several times. He was a jounin, dammit! A prodigy! He was Namikaze Naruto! He shouldn't been avoiding eye contact like a little academy girl! He shouldn't be running away every time he sensed her chakra signature! And he sure as hell shouldn't have heart problems every time she was around! Hell, what was up with that feeling anyway? He was too young to be having heart attacks, but his heart kept beating uncontrollably no matter how hard he tried to regulate his breathing.

_Dammit._

He exhaled sharply and slumped backwards on the grounds, sprawling across the stone slab. This was all too mentally exhausting. He should just play it cool and pretend like nothing happened, which is the case, for the record. _Nothing did happen_. Naruto was just overreacting...right?

* * *

Sasuke slumped against the archway as he finally made it to the damn hide out. Kabuto really didn't want to be found. Or rather, Orochimaru didn't want to be found. Funny how that worked out. Sasuke straightened up and looked down the tunnel. This was it. Mission or not, he was finally at the lion's den. He gritted his teeth remembering the mission,_ his teacher._

Sasuke chuckled hollowly and started his trek inward. When he finally made it to a large empty room, he tensed when he heard laughter.

"You finally made it, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned around to see a silver haired teen walking over to him.

"Kabuto..."

"For a moment, I thought you'd never make it. I see the sound four isn't with you."

"They're dead"

"Oh, how unfortunate."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the apathy in the teen's voice.

"Regardless, Sasuke-kun, I have your room ready. We can start whenever you want."

"Hn."

Sasuke finally made it to his room and dumped all his stuff on the barren bed. He slumped against the wall and slid down. He rested his forehead on his knees.

He had deflected from Konoha.

He had killed his sensei

He had gained a new Sharingan.

But he had killed his sensei.

He bit back a sob.

"Dammit."

He shot up from the floor and immediately started to unpack. He brought out the stupid jar of tomatoes when an envelope dumped out of his bag and plopped on the floor. Sasuke stared at the yellowish paper on the floor for a moment before picking it up. Who gave him this?

He tore the envelope off and unfolded the paper.

_Haha Idiot, you thought I'd just give you a stupid chain?_

Sasuke blinked.

_Yahoo, Sasuke, it's Naruto. If you're reading this right now, then my seal worked! It's a transportation seal that I put on your bag so that I could send you a letter when I got back to Konoha. I know, it's a work of art, teme, appreciate it. Anyways, what I mean to say is, if you are reading this, then I have successfully done what I was suppose to do! Can you guess what that is?_

Sasuke felt his eyes sting as the paper began to blur.

_That's right, teme! I got you your next level of Sharingan! I talked to Fugaku and Mikoto about this, and I believe you are ready for this. You're ready, I know you are._

Sasuke flinched when a drop of water fell on the letter. He looked up to search for a leak but found none. Where did that come from? He continued to read.

_Anyways, I learned that the only way for you to be able to fend for yourself is to have an ace up your sleeve. But Kabuto knows everything about you already, so I had to act fast. I hope you didn't spoil everything by telling him about your eyes already. Remember, you're in enemy territory, teme! Don't tell anyone about your eyes. Just say you have the normal sharingan!_

_I also learned that in order for you to get the Mangekyou Sharingan, you needed to experience extreme mental trauma. Fugaku-san said someone close to you had to die. But I'm not going to kill your family! Haha, let's find someone else, shall we? So I said, why not me. Now, don't go crying your eyes out if you "killed" me because, let me set the record straight, you cannot kill me. Hahahaha, you really think you can beat me yet? Try again in another hundred years, teme. The Kyuubi sealed in me can heal the worst of wounds. Remember when I died during the chuunin exams? Well, I survived and I can do it again._

Sasuke tried to smudge away the droplets of water on the letter, causing the ink to blur but he kept on reading, clenching the papers.

_So, even if you think I'm dead, I'm actually alive. I'm still your stupid spy master and don't you fucking dare think you can just deflect Konoha for real on my watch. I might have said some really mean things at the Valley of the End, and you probably hate me now, but don't take it personally, teme. How else was I suppose to piss you off? I'm not Konohamaru! Just kidding. Anyways. Just remember, keep those eyes safe, keep yourself safe, send in chakra into that chain whenever you feel endangered. If that chain falls apart, since it's made with my chakra, it means I've been...defeated, for a lack of better term, and means you have a new spymaster. Think of that chain as my life status. Pretty nifty, right? Alright, I'm running out of space on this damn paper, so I'll leave you to your mission. Don't forget, Naruto-sensei knows what's best!_

_See you in a couple months,_

_Namikaze Naruto (The best guy in the world, teme)_

_PS. Burn this paper when you're done. Don't want snake boy to find out, right?_

Sasuke wiped his eyes, suddenly feeling the hot tears that rolled down his face.

"Stupid dobe" He chuckled. A wave of relief washed over him and he felt...content.

Naruto was alive. And that's all that matters.

An:/ Sorta short chapter.

So...NaruSaku...It has begun.

Sasuke? He now knows. MANGEKYOU CANNOT DISAPPEAR, DOBE!

SHOWTIME09: I'VE DECIDED TO UPDATE THIS CHAPTER EARLIER THAN USUAL BUT YOU WILL BE GETTING A PICTURE FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY, CHECK MY DEVIANTART DAY OF, OR DAY AFTER YOUR WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY, MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND (haha did I just become lee? I did.)

Er, that it all.

Review Response: I by accidentally misspelled some people's names last chapter, so now I feel like an ass. Sorry guys. Forgive this shitty author

* * *

SakuraFairy1990: I really have no idea what the drug's name is, but I totally understand (saw my friend under the same effects and I've read similar situations in other fanfics) It is funny as hell in a way. XD

claymore78: Roger! I will remember for the sequel! I think! And if I don't, you can slap me with a pizza slice (I got that from tumblr...don't ask)

ownerl: Oh dear! Don't tell me you got arrested! I'll bail you out!

shadowmaster0304: I put my ipod on shuffle and looked through all the silly songs I had, a majority were completely inapropro but then I came upon barbie girl and I was like...Oh. My. GOD. *furiously typing down lyrics*

Zatheko: Enough this time? I hope? No? *sobs* NOT YOU TOO~

Streetfighter: I...I was going to post it on Monday...but I was a two hours late and it posted on tuesday...whoops? I'M SORRY FOR LYING, I SHOULD HIT MY HEAD AGAINST A DESK *face desk* I couldn't even prank my sister...well, I sorta did, but it didn't count. I sent her the google nose beta and she believed it. It was hilarious, but not serious enough. DON'T FRAME ME FOR SHAVING PEOPLE'S EYEBROWS OFF, I'D LIKE TO REMAIN INNOCENT FOR THE TIME BEING..._for the time being._

MrAzazael: Urgh, it's names like yours where I have to watch my fingers or I might misspell it! Anyways, I hope you read all the way to chapter 37! You were only at 1 when you reviewed, but I hope you enjoyed the rest of it! You're absolutely welcome!

Oksus: It was only a suggestion about the two of them going but I don't think it will happen. Sakura will stay in Konoha like canon.

PrinceGoku: Orochimaru is dead. lol. Naruto will train with Jiraiya because a lot of people want him to learn sage mode...not that he's going to but Naruto is going to be learning the art of being a spymaster. I believe Sasuke now knows that Naruto was just pulling his leg.

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: Q.Q I would never kill my readers! They're like family! And thank you! I don't really like Sakura either...I take those "useless" jokes sometimes way too far. I thought I might change her here, making her less bitchy in the preshippuden and probably a bit nicer in general.

The Keeper for Worlds: Yo, I have to agree...I'm totes bat shit crazy. I'm glad you found my humor somewhat amusing (there is a special place in hell for all the jokes I've cracked in my life...) The deviation from the original plan...has been explained in this chapter. Bam. I hope my insanity is contagious...ehm, I mean, I hope you don't catch my insanity...whuttt

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: My friend walked in on my typing this story up and they saw your name and was like, "Damn, that guy's name is sick." and I was like...you two peas of a pod. Haha, anyways. NOT THE COCONUT! *grabs the two broken shells and claps them together* Now I'm on a horse (monty python anybody?)

Djflemse: Oh dear, I think I'd blush everytime Naruto calls Sakura "Hime" If I made that happen in the sequel. I just suppress a shiver every time couples give each other cutesy pet names. It's weird but maybe that's just because I'm single_ and ready to mingle_. Ignore that.

Doomslayer10000: Aw thanky! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you did the other!

EmilyLovesbooks: Q.Q You do? LET ME LOVE YOU *glomps*

Foxxel: I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT MEANS TOO! WHAT THE FLYING SQUIRREL DOES SUPERT MEAN DAMMIT!

rivereagles999: You...are the first to say they don't care about the pairing...Interesting XD. I'm glad you caught up! Anyways, if you're confused on what happened at the VOTE battle after this chapter, say so in the reviews and I can clarify the next chapter.

DiariesAreStupid: HOW COME SASUKE LET'S YOU GLOMP HIM BUT WHEN I DO IT, HE GETS ALL PRISSY ABOUT IT! Me and Supert are like pineapples and doorbells...it just doesn't make sense.

.lonliness94: Aw thanky!

Atrum litch: Sweet son of a- NOT ANOTHER SUPERT CONVERTED NINCOMPOOP! Haha, thanks for lovin' this story! You're absolutely welcome!

Tsuukiyomi: Awwww, I didn't slip up this time! *starry eyes*

DoostetDaram: Really?! Sweet...

Guest: Whoa. Whoa. you're at chapter one and suddenly "Sakura's a fucking bitch"? Go fuck yourself, douchemuffin.

(More polite) Guest: PLOT TWIST: IT WAS A FILLER CHAPTER *runs off laughing like a maniac*

Killijimaru: You...You...YOU! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA damn you and your spamming hilarity! jkjk they were absolutely hilarious. Tree pussy? Really? Geezus. AND THE DAMN BEER BOTTLE SONG! HOLY SMOKES I HAD TO SCROLL THROUGH THE WHOLE DAMN THING! Urgh...I swear you're some spawn of supert satan. And the dirty song? I should fuck myself because I definitely saw all the dirty things in there...well, no complaints because I am one sexy beast.

Aerotyl JR: Holy s-. Ehm. Hey sweety! Honey, it's _mommy_, not daddy! Mommy's here, baby. Where did you get a booboo? Did you trip and fall again?

_Did I just have a baby? Did I just roleplay? Who's the father... (not to sound like a whore or anything)_

* * *

Aerotyl over and out.


	39. Chapter 39

AN:/ I said I wouldn't get the chapter in that fast but SURPRISE! Anyways. Let's sing a happy birthday song for Showtime09!

**_EXTREMELY SHORT CHAPTER_**: DON'T COMPLAIN, IT'S A GIFT! But seriously, this is just a transition chapter...

Happy birthday to you, you're 102! You look like a monkey, and you act like one too! Just kidding, But happy birthday Showtime09! Thank you for reading my story! (Good thing about "singing" online to you is that you don't have to stand there awkwardly as we all clap and sing... :D)

Alright, your gift, aside from this chapter, is a picture on DeviantArt (the link is on my profile) of none other than Waraikari Rei, Naruto's teammate! Perhaps I'll draw Reno later. ANYWAYS, looking back, I realized I never described what she looked like so I drew a picture of what I imagined her.

Some people said I kinda rushed the Narusaku last chapter...well, I am kinda running outta time and I figured, sudden realization usually makes people aware of feelings they never thought they had...I don't know if I can say that from experience judging from my lack of it...but meh, that's how I feel. Anyways, I guess it can be clarified here...

* * *

Naruto woke up with a start, jolting out of bed as his alarm blared it's call from hell.

"Urgh! I don't even have to work today!" Naruto growled as he slammed down on the alarm clock. A satisfying crack resonated through the room.

"THAT BETTER NOT BE YOUR 50TH ALARM, NARUTO!"

Naruto blanched as he quickly tried to hide the remnants of the broken alarm clock.

"N-No, of course not-"

Kushina bursted through the door with a pan at hand.

"You can't lie to me, Naruto!" She smiled oh-so-sweetly.

Naruto paled and quickly flashed out of the room, leaving the infuriated redhead to storm around the room to vent off her anger.

"You know, just because you flash to the dining room doesn't mean she won't find you. You have nowhere to hide. I've tried"

Naruto looked to his dad, who was sitting quietly at the table with a newspaper open and several scrolls unraveled and sprawled out on the table. Minato only gave Naruto an all knowing look before turning back to his black and white. Naruto raised his eyebrow but suddenly realized the meaning behind his , he was too late as the pan descended on his blonde head. The sound of pan meet skull rang through the air and Naruto dropped to the ground cradling his head.

"I'm pretty sure this is child abuse." He gritted through his teeth as he rolled around on the floor.

"And I'm pretty sure a jounin like you can handle it. Just look at you, all conscious and whatnot." Kushina huffed as she returned to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Naruto muttered colorful obscenities before plopping down on the chair and eating breakfast.

* * *

"Yo, Saru!"

Konohamaru turned around to see Naruto walking up to him.

"Naruto-nii!"

"How's it going, Saru? You seem busy..."

Naruto eyed the bizarre scroll in his student's hand. Konohamaru caught that and quickly hid the scroll somewhere in his large scarf.

"N-nothing at all..."

"I didn't ask what you were doing..." Naruto replied skeptically.

"U-Uh...oh? Haha..ha..." Konohamaru scratched the back of his head as he slowly inched further away from Naruto.

The blonde frowned before he took one huge step forward. Konohamaru stepped back equal distance. An evil glint caught Naruto's eye and the jounin stepped forward again, only for Konohamaru to step back the same. He started to walk forward at insane speeds only to have Konohamaru match the speed and distance. Naruto broke out into full sprint and Konohamaru dashed away with Naruto on his tail.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Konohamaru cried as he dashed along the streets of Konoha with multiple clones hot on his trail.

"We're not stopping until you tell us what's in that scroll!" one of the clones stated.

It was only till around noon that Naruto finally gave up the fun game of cat and mouse and tackled the poor boy to the ground and tied him up to a tree. Naruto gave a malicious grin before pulling out a senbon that was clearly poisoned and stepping forward menacingly.

"We can do this the hard way...or my way..your choice."

Konohamaru paled before struggling against the rope.

"O-OKAY OKAY I'LL TALK JUST KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks and smiled.

"I'm glad we came to a mutual agreement. Now talk."

"I-"

"BOSS!"

"Boss!"

Konohamaru and Naruto looked behind Naruto to see two genins run up to the two. One was a boy around Konohamaru's age with round glasses and an ever runny nose. The other was a girl with orange hair tied up in gravity defying pigtails. The two genins ran up to them and stopped short in front of Naruto before getting into stances.

"You! Let go of our Boss!" the girl yelled.

"Yeah! Let go of our Boss you midget idiot!" the boy yelled

A tick mark appeared on Naruto's forehead and Konohamaru blanched as he tried to silently tell the two to stop their verbal assault. All of which proved fruitless and in vain.

"A banana head like you should release our boss immediately!" the boy yelled again.

"yeah!" The girl cried out in agreement.

The tick marks only multiplied as Naruto was visibly shaking. Konohamaru cringed and cowered away as the forest was suddenly disturbed by two loud whacks. The birds all left the trees and silence returned.

The two genin were found tied up in cocoons as they were suspended upside down next to their "boss", Konohamaru.

"you two idiots!" Konohamaru reprimanded. "That "banana head" is my sensei!" WHACK

"I WAS JUST QUOTING THEM, GEEZ!" Konohamaru growled when Naruto whacked him.

"S-Sorry boss!" The girl stuttered

"Yea- We thought we could take him..." the boy said with confidence.

"You idiot! He's a jounin!"

Realization dawned on the two genin and they immediately lost color in their faces. Naruto only got more pissed as he crossed his arms and tried to suppress yelling at them, his lip twitching.

"Mind introducing your subordinates, Saru?"

"Uh-s-sure. Moegi and Udon...guys, this is my sensei, Namikaze Naruto"

If the color of the two genin's faces could drain even more, it would. When they heard that the teen that they had just threatened was not only a jounin, but the Hokage's son, their heart stopped.

"Y-You're joking, right?"

Naruto tried to smile but it came out as a grimace as his lip and eyebrow twitched even more.

"No...he's not joking, you little twerps" he gritted, "now you're gonna pay for calling me a banana head..."

The muffled screams of two genin were heard from the forest but no one was around to save the poor unfortunate souls that were caught under Naruto's ultimate jutsu of pain.

(AN:/No, not the sennen goroshi, guys...please, Naruto isn't a butt violator like Kakashi.._.though I wouldn't mind if Kakashi came over and-just kidding, I'll shut up now._)

* * *

Naruto strolled through the park, taking in, well, not really much. He was rather bored with his day off and couldn't find anything to do. He already read Icha Icha several times and he was no Kakashi who could read the damn thing 17 times in a row and not get bored. He normally would train his students, but clearly that wasn't going to work since all of them were busy, Konohamaru nursing his wounds, Sakura training at the hospital, and Sasuke...doing whatever Sasuke does.

Naruto suddenly flinched when he felt an incoming chakra signature. His head darted side to side, looking for a hiding spot as he tried to run away.

"There's no use, even if I can't catch you physically, I can always find you. There's nowhere to hide, Naru-shit."

"Who said I was trying to hide, Reno" Naruto turned around and glared at the teen.

"No need to say anything, you were looking like your mom found your Icha Icha collection. That's all I needed."

"Ugh, what do you want this time, Reno. Haven't you messed up my social life enough already? My brain is in a garbled mess."

Reno only smirked wrapped his arm around Naruto.

"Here, young grasshopper. Let me show you the ways of courting-"

Naruto quickly, but gently, shoved Reno off his shoulder and glared at him pointedly.

"Like hell I need to have you tell me that kind of shit."

"Admit it, you finally see what you didn't see before, or better yet, what you ignored."

Naruto frowned and turned away to huff. It was silent for a moment before Reno spoke up.

"Just ask her out for dinner, ya know, like you normally do. Except this time, get to know her better. Like, know her on a more personal level."

Naruto turned and glared at Reno.

"And what makes you think I'm going to do that?"

Reno only smiled.

"A hunch."

"Yeah? Well, get your 'hunch' checked out because it's wrong."

Reno only sighed and slapped Naruto across the back.

"Someday, Naruto...someday..."

Naruto growled and Reno walked away.

* * *

Mind and heart racing at a miles per minute, Naruto gave a curt nod to Sakura before turning away and giving Rei his undivided attention. Or at least that's what it was suppose to look like on the outside. Naruto felt like a garbled mess inside and he was doing his best to keep himself in check. His, what's the word, _feelings_ were rather sudden and he'd rather not scare Sakura away with his childish antics.

Here he was on the Hokage's orders (more like the idiot was too damn lazy to do it himself, "yes, why not pawn it on my son") to inspect the hospital and it's budgets. Naruto thought best if he avoided the pinkette, but the contact was inevitable because right then so happened to be her training time. Oh, the coincidences...

"So, Rin, Rei, Sakura, how's the hospital going?" Naruto clipped.

Rin pulled out a clipboard in a formal fashion as Rei silently laughed and Sakura looked on in patience (most likely because she didn't know what was going on).

Naruto inwardly fidgeted as his eyes subtly flickered to his student before focusing on Rin droning on. He kept his cool demeanor outside as he leaned on one leg and crossed his arms.

_Just ask her out for dinner, ya know, like you normally do_

_Right, just like I normally would, what is there to lose?_ Naruto thought. Rin quickly tucked the papers on the clipboard into an envelope. She handed it to the absent minded Naruto and quickly dismissed herself, saying how she had patients to attend to. Rei followed close behind and Sakura was about to leave before Naruto called out.

"S-Sakura?"

She turned around and raised a brow.

"Yeah?"

"After your shift, you wanna go to Ichiraku's? Like old times?" Naruto tried to hide his nervousness, somehow successfully.

"Uh, sure. When?"

"Oh you know, 7:00 ish I guess seems good."

"Okay. May I ask what for?"

Naruto could sweat enough to refill the Valley of the End at this point as he quickly searched for an answer.

"U-uh you know, check on how you're doing at the hospital, your future training and what not. Sensei gotta do what he gotta do, right?"

"Uh, alright. Sounds good, see you at 7."

"S-see ya."

Naruto quickly shunshined away and Sakura only quirked a brow again and shrugged it off before running up to catch up with her seniors.

* * *

Naruto slid down his door as he clutched his chest.

"That...was...too...much..." he breathed.

Asking Sakura for a habitual dinner at Ichiraku's never been this hard before. Sure, it was slightly awkward before, but now, now, everything seemed to go down hill. He inwardly panicked as he realized that he had actually followed through with what Reno said.

"This is not good, I can't bring her to Ichiraku's! Reno will know!"

Naruto paced his room and started to think of back up plans but was coming up blank.

"This is bad..."

* * *

AN:/ short chapter again but really this is mostly filler...filler as in the filler for the canon like series but really the main portion of the Narusaku.

Anyways, next chapter will be Naruto and Sakura's first date, or at least, one of them thinks it's a date...dun dun dunnnnn.

It also appears that I have made Reno Naruto's love expert, don't ask me why, just accept..shhhh shhhh, it's gonna be okay.

Okay, Happy birthday Showtime09, once again to all you peeps, _**THERE IS A PICTURE OF WARAIKARI REI ON DEVIANT ART.**_ My Deviantart is on my** profile page**. If you want you can go check it out. Have fun, knock yourself out.

* * *

Review Response:

* * *

SakuraFairy1990: Too much pride XD And Naruto's inexperience...comes from my experience HAHHAHAHAHA ADEAR GOD *sobs deeply* jk XD

MirageKing: Will be shown later on in the story! thanks!

rivereagles999: Lol okay XD

The Keeper of Worlds: EVERYONE LISTEN TO THE WISE WORDS OF THIS AWESOME PERSON! **SUPERT COULD BE THE SLANG FUSION OF ****_SUPER PERFECT!_** FUCKING GENIUS. I will be meeting _you_ in an asylum soon.

devil M: Poor sasuke indeed...Aerotyl: LEMME LOVE YOU *glomps Sasuke* Sasuke: Dammit, Aerotyl, let go *shoves her off*

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Where did you get the tree idea from? Macbeth? Geez, freggin' army outta nowhere...who do these people think they are, casting black magic fuckery n' shit...

Foxxel: Are you okay there? Need some water- *COUGH COUGH* Oh noes! I caught it too! mUAAHAHAHAHAHA *cackles evily* yes, _yes, the Narusaku has begun_.

claymore78: IKR! It's forced...just like my smile when I realize that I don't know what I'm doing

Zatheko: *sobs uncontrollably* you too..._you too_

Showtime09: HAPPPY FREGGIN' BIRTHDAY MOFO! Just go to my profile...it should be there...

LimitedEdition16: Thanky :)

Killijimaru: I've gotten so used to responding to your insane reviews, I don't have to look at your name to spell it out, I have it memorized. I love the 99 bottles of beer song, I once sang it on a field trip bus...teehee? I hope that blue stuff doesn't stain your clothes! *hands handkerchief* here!

demonic hellfire: Heehee thanky Aerotyl: I told ya so, Sasuke! Sasuke: Hn...baka. Aerotyl: WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME~!

Doomslayer10000: *takes kudos and stashes in brand new kudos jar* LOOKIE I'VE STARTED A COLLECTION!

The Lynx Wearing Eyeliner: Weight taken away. Poof, gone. Itachi will come...in the sequel :3

sereneskydragonslayer: BAHAHAHA Sasuke? Evil again? HAHAHAHAHA NO! NEVER!

DiariesAreStupid: W-What! You even have Sasuke following your orders! Sasuke! why can't you love me like that! Sasuke: No. Aerotyl: *sobs in a corner* dammit...

StreetFighter: I'd like to be framed...eh...I dont know yet, spur of the moment and i'll know...ANYWAYS: Naruto...in love...Aw yissssss

DoostetDaram: Ahhh young love indeed...

Eternal hokage123: I don't really know...but soon...real soon.

Marty15: you are a sexy beast. Two days? Dayum. Cool beans.

Killijimaru: *deadpans* again? Did we forget to give you your SUPERT meds? Geez... crazy supert people

Guest: one of these days..._one of these_ days

ExoticAngel97: France? Man, I love France! Was it fun? Did you stick around Paris or did you go else where? You have exchange partners!? Whhaaatttt. School work is a drag (ahhahahaha silly Shikamaru) and I love you too, you awesome reader! I didn't want to leave Sasuke in the dumps so...

* * *

Aerotyl over and out... you supert fans


	40. Chapter 40

AN:/ Sorry for late update. But, I'd rather not shower you with excuses so Let's-a-go!

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, how wonderful of you to join us..."

"Hn. I thought I would be taught by one of the great sannin, not his apprentice..." Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Kabuto slightly frowned before he turned back to his experiment on the dissecting table.

"We ran into slight complications. But, I assure you, you will be taught by Orochimaru..."

"...How..."

Kabuto turned back around after placing the scalpel on the metal table.

"There are many things you don't know Sasuke. However, I'd rather not indulge you in the matters of science. It's rather complicated."

Sasuke only glared as he turned heel and left.

"I'm not going to wait too long..." he gave one last look to Kabuto with his sharingan flaring before leaving back to his room.

Kabuto sat there frozen, the spine of his back tingling. He snapped out of it and he chuckled.

"Oh, but you will...you will, Sasuke-kun."

Kabuto's chuckles were abruptly cut short when a smooth tenor voice rang through the room.

"Don't be so sure of yourself."

Kabuto slowly turned around and a hooded figure stood behind his table.

"Ah, you're here. What do you want..." Kabuto spat as he narrowed his eyes.

"Such venom, Kabuto. I only dropped by to see your new tenant. Everything seems to be going as planned..."

"As planned?"

"_I'd rather not indulge you in the matters of foresight_-"

Kabuto's palms felt sweaty and he felt his foot twitch a little in as if he was ready to bolt. This man had killed Orochimaru in seconds. If there was a chance, any chance at all, to get away, it would probably be found in some obscure place in a black hole...in other words, inexistent.

"-but that doesn't matter. I am here to warn you that Tobi will be making an appearance in a week. You'll need Orochimaru ready by then...Don't be rash, Kabuto-kun...let's not screw up everything we worked so hard to achieve..."

Kabuto only leaned back into his chair in hopes of cooling his nerves.

"Understood...Sakurai-sama"

The man vanished in a cloud of smoke and Kabuto clenched his fists. The man was an enigma that was hard to break. He changed his voice, his appearance, even his chakra signature at every meeting. Any means of tracking this man has been absolute failures and the man would only smile, a row of perfect white teeth with his left canine crooked. That was the only thing that didn't change, his smile. It was unnerving. The man was excellent at psychological warfare and he had not used a single major jutsu that could identify him from any clan whatsoever. And that was it. That was all the information Kabuto had collected on this hooded mastermind. Four years under Orochimaru, four years of being in contact with Sakurai, and of those four years, Kabuto came up empty handed. Not even a last name.

* * *

Sakurai began to walk slowly through the frozen forest, each footstep never indenting the fresh white snow. His pale white hair blended with the snow and his sky blue eyes darted around the trees. His rather pale skin made it look as if the man was bedridden for weeks. He didn't bother with the henge when meeting up with an Uchiha, considering they saw right through it. It would be a waste of chakra. But he changed his chakra signature for the kicks and continued on with his travels. He finally made it to his destination as he looked up the flight of stone stairs. The small temple was covered in red silk flags as they fluttered in the harsh bitter wind. He heard the snow crunching behind him and looked to see a girl with cropped green hair approach him.

"Sakurai-sama! How's it goin'!" She waved merrily.

"Akarii. What's the report."

"Not much is goin' on. Konoha is just in the middle of repairs and the Akatsuki are tryna get members. One of their good recruits died a few years back and none of the rest could make the cut. Kakuzu needs a partner."

"Akarii...Did you do it?"

"Roger~! It's going to be hard though, maintaining a place in both Konoha and Akatsuki, though I think Tobi-sama will understand." she chirped.

"Akarii-"

"Hai hai! Tobi is coming!" She sang. Sakurai only deadpanned and turned back to the temple to see Tobi materializing at the top of the stairs.

"Sakurai...what a pleasure..."

"Well, greetings to you too, Uchiha Obito..."

The Uchiha stiffened but quickly relaxed.

"Is that all you came here to tell me, Sakurai? My identity? I have better things to do then to learn my name."

"Oh, that was just a little cherry on top of the cake. Kabuto-kun should be ready with Orochimaru by the end of the week. You can make your demands then."

"That is intriguing. What else."

Sakurai gave an amused look.

"Who do you think I am, Uchiha? Your spy? I hardly think so. But I guess I'll indulge you in a little information. The Namikaze kid has unlocked a rather interesting kekkei genkai-"

Obito's eyebrows furrowed under the mask. The only bloodline he could think of was Kushina's chakra chains, but he knew Naruto didn't possess the chakra for that. Minato-sensei didn't have a bloodline, or at least, not that he knew of.

"-I'll have you know, with this new bloodline, you'll have even more trouble catching the jinchuuriki."

"You know of this bloodline?"

Sakurai only smiled.

"Good luck, Uchiha Obito. We'll meet again sometime in the far and distant future."

Sakurai gave a quick wave and began to walk away with Akarii at his tail.

Obito only frowned and teleported away.

* * *

Naruto hit his head against the wall several times before he looked back at the scroll given to him. Jiraiya apparently wanted to leave with Naruto to "train".

"LIKE SACRIFICING MY CHILDHOOD WASN'T ENOUGH FOR HIM!" Naruto cried as he clutched his hair and fell dramatically to the floor.

Because of the rather mature state of mind Naruto had when he was younger, Jiraiya had taken advantage of the fact and made Naruto his editor and co-conspirator during his supposed "training". Meaning, Naruto had to reread all of Jiraiya's shitty drafts of his perverted novel AND go to all the women's baths to bail the old fart from the wrath of several nude women INSTEAD of actually training. To say Naruto was scared for life was a bit of an understatement. Now the boy was converted to an all time pervert at age 13 going on 14. He wasn't as open about it as Jiraiya, but that sure as hell didn't stop him from reading porn in public like Kakashi. His reputation was rather mixed with good and bad, child prodigy to fourth generation pervert. According to some stories, apparently the Third Hokage was pervert and secretly like to read his student's perverted books. Third Hokage, to Jiraiya, to Kakashi, to Naruto. The perverted teachings was apparently contagious. Minato claims he isn't part of the chain but Naruto seemed to notice a book or two missing from his stash every now and then. He'll stay quiet for now, but he'll know what to use as a bargaining chip later on.

Minato leaned in at the doorway to see Naruto silently weeping on the floor.

"Naruto?"

"Tou-san...you can't let him take me away!" Naruto cried comically.

Naruto clung onto Minato, crying rivers as he begged to stay in Konoha.

"You don't understand, Tou-san! I'm only an alibi for that stupid pervert to go around to different bathhouses saying he's 'training' me even though he's just perving!"

"Now now, Naruto. I made sure this time he actually trains you properly. You need to take care of the Kyuubi and those eyes of yours. He has a quota to fulfill before he goes off doing whatever."

Naruto ceased his antics and fell back to the floor. He placed his hand on his stomach.

"Kyuubi, huh."

Minato only smiled sadly and sat next to Naruto.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you...do you resent me for sealing the Kyuubi in you?"

Naruto looked up at his dad with a tint of confusion before he shook his head.

"What are you talking about? I have an imaginary friend sealed inside my head 24/7. I never get bored now!" He chuckled.

**"Who are you calling imaginary, meat sack."**

Minato only chuckled and ruffled Naruto's head before getting up to leave.

"I guess that's one way to look at it, Naruto. Thank you." Minato left and Naruto only rolled to the side. His eyes darted to the alarm clock at his bedside and Naruto almost jumped out of his skin.

"IT'S 6:55! HOLY SHIT!"

Naruto quickly changed into some civilian clothing before flashing out of the house.

* * *

"You're...LATE, YOU IDIOT SENSEI!" Sakura slammed her fist down on Naruto's head who only recoiled to cradle the bump.

"S-sorry, Sakura! I promise I won't be late next time, I swear!" He winced.

Sakura huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away.

"Ugh, and you invited me in the first place!" She pouted.

"Ha-haha..." Naruto scratched the back of his head meekly before grasping Sakura's hand and quickly making his way to Ichiraku's only to pass it.

"N-Naruto! We just passed Ichiraku's!"

Naruto only smirked proudly.

"We're not going to Ichiraku's!" He chirped as he resisted the incessant pounding in his chest. Nope! He is definitely not gonna act like some lovesick school boy this time. He decided to go for a more energetic persona.

"While Ramen is probably the food of the gods, there is something more interesting going on in the merchant's district that we have to go to!"

Naruto continued to drag Sakura until sounds of drums reverberated through the streets and the glow of red lanterns and fireflies illuminated the area. A few crackling and snaps of firecrackers joined in with the chorus of noise. The smell of exotic cuisine made its way to Naruto and Sakura's nose.

"What is this?" Sakura questioned in awe.

"Apparently, this is a celebration for a new year in some subculture in Hi no Kuni. Pretty popular and the merchants come here to celebrate because Konoha tends to have more people."

Naruto led Sakura through the open stands, dodging a few lions and dragons that were manned by civilians. People were giving and receiving red packets that were filled with coins and cabbage littered the floor at every store and house entrance. The fumes of firecrackers clouded the dimming sky, the reddish light looming over the busy street.

Naruto stopped Sakura at a local vendor and they both bought traditional clothing to change in. Sakura dawned a rather simple pink silk dress with a white borders. Naruto wore a dark blue high collared top over his civilian clothes. The vendor had pronounced the name of the outfit in some foreign language and Naruto only chuckled, repeating it several times before turning to Sakura and smiling.

"Your _qi pao_ looks stunning!"

Sakura only smiled shyly as Naruto clasped her hand again and led her to a vendor where they bought a small plate of dumplings. They walked around until they finally made their way to a small stage in the middle of the park where crowds surrounded the elevated platform. A few people were performing acrobatics, flipping and performing an odd form of taijutsu. Naruto and Sakura only chuckled when people were in awe as one man supported the full weight of three other people on top of his shoulders. Clearly they were surrounded by civilians because this was only the norm for a ninja.

They spent the rest of the night watching the various performances, people wearing intricate garments and others dancing with weirdly shaped fans. At midnight, everyone began to look up to the sky. Naruto and Sakura followed their eyes in time to see the start of the fireworks. Sakura tugged at Naruto's hand and he looked down to see her nudging her head towards the exit of the crowd.

They walked away and Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Leaving early? What for?" Naruto raised a brow.

"The fireworks are going to end soon and we don't want to be caught in the mass of people trying to leave." Sakura giggled.

Realization dawned on Naruto and he awkwardly scratched his cheek as he chuckled.

"haha...forgot about that-"

"Hey you two!"

Naruto and Sakura turned to their right to see a vendor sitting down. She slouched over her seat with her arms crossed. She wore hot pink shades that seemed to clash with her cropped green hair. They walked up to the vendor.

"How ya doin'? Can I interest you in some faux ANBU Masks? Or perhaps some bijoux imported from the Kesshou no Kuni (Land of Crystals)?"

Naruto chuckled humorlessly at the ANBU masks and Sakura looked down at the table to get a closer look at the crystals. Naruto's eyes darted downward at the specific crystal Sakura kept looking at. He scooted Sakura over and rose the crystal up towards his eyes.

"Miss, how much for this crystal?"

"Hmmm 2 ryos...for the pretty lady I presume?"

Naruto only smiled and handed the amount, ignoring Sakura's vehement protests.

"Thanks for the business!" the vendor chirped. Naruto led Sakura away, missing the small smirk on the vendor's face.

The fumes got to Naruto's head and before he knew it, he was rambling.

"You having fun at the hospital? I personally don't find the hospital amusing, it's ridiculously boring and the nurses are always telling me to stop running away. Even you're doing the same now!" Naruto pouted.

Sakura giggled. "It's good. Hospital is pretty fun because I'm actually doing things instead of sitting in a hospital bed. Rei and Rin said I could be trained by Tsunade..."

"That's great! She's a great medic so I'm sure you'll do fine! I'm going to be trained by Jiraiya too!" Naruto cried ecstatically.

"I thought you were already trained by him..." Sakura asked, confused. Naruto scratched his head.

"Oh yeah, a few days from now, Jiraiya is going to take me on another training trip for a year or two."

"Eh!?" Sakura snapped her head up and looked at Naruto completely bewildered.

"Yeah, in a few days I'll be leaving..." Naruto's voice died down. Sakura suddenly halted and Naruto took a few steps before he turned back. "Sakura?"

"why...why didn't you tell me?" She tried not to let the feeling of betrayal get to her considering it was technically not her business. Naruto looked away.

"I just got the news today..."

Sakura flinched. "Oh."

The silence felt heavy as it weighed down on them like a blanket. They finally reached Sakura's house and they stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Bye" "Bye"

They both flinched when they said it at the same time. Naruto quickly bowed.

"Sorry!"

Sakura only clutched the crystal pendant at her chest and bowed her head.

"It's-it's nothing. Thanks, Naruto, for today."

Naruto lifted his head and gave an eye smile before he shuffled back a few steps.

"I'll see you around before I leave okay?"

"Wait-"

Naruto had already surged his chakra right before Sakura spoke up and he flashed away before Sakura could finish. Sakura clenched her outstretched hand and quickly made her way inside, closing the door.

Naruto had flashed back to his room just after he saw Sakura telling him to wait.

"Shit!"

He flashed back only to see the door click shut and he face palmed himself before flashing back home. It was futile anyways and things would have been awkward if he stopped the door from closing. He slumped onto his bed.

"You stupid idiot."

He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

* * *

An:/ uh...is it okay? I made their date at a Chinese festival, using a bit of personal experience to describe it. Sorry I don't know much about dates...we're just gonna have to stick with the cliched-romance-chick-flick styled dates...even those I have limited knowledge of...not much of a chick flick girl... alright, enough rambling...

* * *

Review Response

* * *

Spartan12458: Now now, you're making me blush! I wouldn't say I'm the best writer...I personally think there are some really awesome writers out there(they got like 1000+ favs for not even 10 chaps...it's amazing!)

SakuraFairy1990: I didn't include Sakura's reaction to the date this chapter BUT NEXT CHAPTER WE'LL UNDERSTAND THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS GOING ON BETWEEN THEM

The Keeper of Worlds: I HAVEN'T CONVERTED! Idk what "ryl" but I'll have you know, that I'm going to be the one to rule the world. There can only be one supreme ruler *narrows eyes*

Zatheko: Thanks! I made Naruto more canon in this chapter with his energetic hyperactive personality here

StreetFighter: This is all filler, no plot...just kidding, we learned who the mystery hooded man was here! I still have to do the omake and have Naruto leave and we're off to the sequel!

Showtime09: The wait is indeed troublesome! I'm glad you loved the pic!

devil M: Reno cooks evil wherever he goes...he's gonna be the shadow of the Hokage remember? controlling Naruto behind the curtains XD

Foxxel: I think I fell in love with your review *swoons*...(75 freggin' hamsters?! dayum... cuteness overload)

sereneskydragonslayer: Didja like the date? I personally thought it was pretty awesome...

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Ahhh the insanity...

avengeme: Avoid Reno they did...but no restaurant!

blair27: nope...not even close...I have no personal experience...but I have been asked to prom this year (squealing)! (Does that count?)

Killijimaru: *tugs hair out and burns them* SO MUCH SUPERT IN ONE SENTENCE!

shirogane soul: in between...he's like 13 going on 14. He'll be returning as a 16-17 year old. It's pretty ambiguous...

Marty15: That is his...

Djflemse: it was half a date but we'll see why in the next chapter!

EmilyLovesbooks: *nudges* whadja think?

SamusOlderBrother: Sorry for the excessive author's notes! Talking to my readers and giving commentary kind makes me feel more connected to them! I have to agree with your point of view though, I can probably never get the guy/man thing going on because I am a girl and therefore cannot think like a man...not that others can't either but I definitely can't. There isn't much I can do and I'm definitely not asking any of my guy friends...just not happening. "hey, I'm writing a fanfic and I just wanna ask you some questions on what goes through your mind..." *pulls out notepad and pen* *stares intently* I'll try to add less reason to Naruto's mind I guess...teehee? Thank you for your very helpful input, I'll seriously try to make Naruto more...manly?

ExoticAngel97: OMG THE LATEST CHAPTER! *SPOILER ALERT IDIOTS* HOLY CRAP MOTHER FREAKING TURN-EVIL-TO-GOOD NO JUTSU! Just one chapter and suddenly bam! It was shocking and I rolled around my room screaming. School work: Four tests! Geezus! Definitely troublesome...

DiariesAreStupid: Aeroyl: awww, Sasuke I love you too *pats back* *turns to DiariesAreStupid* How the hell do you have him at your whim too? What's the trick? Bribery? Blackmail?

Sinister Bowser: I tend to do that a lot, I'll let you imagine a large number and you can place it in there but yes I did mean to say a thousand miles per minute, typo, *beats computer with a bat* "stupid piece of shit..." yeah...

Doomslayer10000: *gathers kudos and shoves it in the jar before stashing it away under my bed* thanky X3

Guest: Thank you, dipshit.

Tigress-of-the-Grove: Haha yes! Thank you for supporting my rant...Anyways, I was actually contemplating on making the cloak guy future naruto gone wrong but I decided a lot of my readers would through a fit and rage quit...so I decided something rather similar...you'll see...

Guest: I will make 90 more chapters...IN THE SEQUEL! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH just wait for it

Tsuukiyomi: Their communication will be a bit more secretive than sending letters and tomatoes XD

Guest: I tried to write a longer one this time...I swear I did...it was like...3,000 ish words this time...I'm proud

blackcatx13: Thanky~!

Damon Furey: Long time no hear, dude! How's life goin' for ya? Yes drugged Naruto was hilarious, I enjoyed writing about him. And the deflect vs defect...I'm just going to go bang my head against the wall till I pass out (stupidstupidstupidstupid...) SUPERT HASN'T GOTTEN TO ME YET...I just used it...once...OH NOES I CONTRACTED THE SUPERT VIRUS! SOMEBODY CONTAIN ME! QUARANTINE ME OR SOMETHING! Thank you for the compliments...I'm going to turn red blushing O/ / / /O

blackcatx13: Apparently...Sasuke loves Tomatoes according to the wikia page...

Sariko-chan723: Omg thanks! you da best!

Killijimaru: Hn...I don't think I have illegitimate children...oh wait...Aerotyl jr.

Aerotyl JR: Wait what. Whose your other mommy?

Guest: The scroll...was meant to be a secret forever...You'll never know... *smiles evily* or will you

Guest: ^ refer to previous guest comment

Also, asshole guests (the ones telling me rude things), leave reviews through your fanfic account because hiding behind anonymity doesn't make you any less of an ass...and baiting me won't work because I'm out of flame responses...I've said what I needed to say in previous chapters. I don't block anyone but still, that doesn't merit you being a total dick on my story reviews...though I appreciate your help in increasing my review count...it's wonderful really...

I love you all regardless though, Look its the 40th chapter anniversary of the story! Thanks for sticking around! Estimated chapters left: less than 4...it's been a long journey hasn't it...

Aerotyl over and out...


	41. Chapter 41

AN:/ OMG I LOOKED UP SUPERT ON . IT HAS A DEFINITION. SOMEBODY PUT UP A DEFINITION 3 YEARS AGO. IT APPARENTLY MEANS "SUPERSUPPORT"

WAHT

WHAT

**_IMPORTANT NOTICE:_**

**_THE THIRD NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER OF THIS STORY._** I will add an epilogue to announce when the sequel will start. It's not really **_an epilogue but more of a quick note/story that announces where to go to find the sequel_**(so don't abandon this story all of a sudden when chap 43 comes out). So, if you want to know when "Inari's Prayer" will come out, you'll just have to keep your eyes peeled or wait for "chapter" 44 (or follow me, your choice).

_**LOOKING FOR BETA READER FOR INARI'S PRAYER**_. Sure I could just ask for a random beta for the sequel but I personally thought it would be great if someone who actually reads my story would like to volunteer. (Though it may only be temporary since this will be experimental.) I just want to see if having a beta for my writing would work out for the better. If it doesn't, then I'll just update without a beta reading it. What do you guys think? If you'd like to volunteer, please tell me in reviews or PM. But remember, you kinda need to be qualified so if you don't think you can commit or do a suffice job, then don't volunteer (don't get my hopes up!).

**_OMAKE CONTINUATION FROM CHAPTER 24 IF YOU WANT TO REREAD THE FIRST HALF._**

**_PART ONE IS CHAPTER 24_**

**_THIS IS PART 2 OF THREE OF THE GREAT OMAKE_**

**_PART THREE WILL BE CHAPTER 42_**

* * *

The four Konoha nins were settled in their rooms and Kagiri made her exit as she left to the throne room. The empty room was grand with large red pillars shooting up to the elevated ceiling. Elaborate swirls were carved into the archaic wood and the vibrant colors in the ceiling was illuminated by the small fires in copper bowls. Kagiri's getas clicked against the reflecting black marble floor. Servants rushed to take her scarf and offer her nourishment before leaving the room completely. She slowly sat down in the lean chair atop an elevated stage. She leaned back and rested her head against the backrest.

"A bit too soon to relax, isn't it, Kagiri-sama"

Kagiri flinched as a girlish voice came from behind her chair.

"I see you did what we asked."

Kagiri narrowed her eyes.

"I did. But you got a tough one this time around. He definitely won't work"

"If he doesn't work, then we'll kill him too."

"I believe you are forgetting that this one is of royal blood. Killing off the heir-"

"I heard he is a mix. He is no pure heir."

"Well, he's a ninja."

"...which Uzumaki did you bring this time."

"Uzumaki...Namikaze Naruto"

A faint gasp was heard and a few shuffling before it went quiet again.

"_He_ will hear of this development. Continue as planned. We will figure out the rest"

With echoed footsteps, the girl left and Kagiri was left in the empty room. She slowly eased into her seat and clenched her fist, resisting the urge to bite her nails. The tingling in her spine and the shaking in her fingers had her on edge. Kagiri was a smart girl. She knew that while Naruto was a mixed blood, the Uzumaki blood concentration in him was relatively high. If just having Uzumaki blood in you was good enough for what these people were looking for, then the whole land of pebbles would have been good enough. But no, the villagers here, though they had continued the red haired trait, did not have the concentration to be even 1/16th Uzumaki. Naruto, on the other hand, was fifty percent Uzumaki, probably one of the highest concentrations and third only to Kushina Uzumaki and a man in Ame by the name of Pein, both of which were absolutely impossible to obtain. No one had ever seen Pein and Kushina was the Hokage's wife which meant for diplomatic missions, Kushina was always escorted by her Husband. These people were definitely not ready to go up against the legendary Yellow Flash.

Kagiri bit her lip. If Naruto didn't work, these people would run out of high concentrated Uzumakis to use. And if they ran out...the next best thing would be her, a quarter percent Uzumaki.

* * *

Naruto created a clone and had him take his place in bed before sneaking out. Sneaking around, Naruto had to say, this palace was rather grand. There were no need for guards because the place was protected by seals. Of course, that couldn't stop a seals expert, let alone an Uzumaki. These barriers were meant for mostly ignorant ninja or low level seals experts. Naruto slipped by the barriers with ease as he continued to snoop around.

He made his way to an empty throne room and immediately spotted a lone figure sitting in the chairs. He sucked in his breath and saw that Kagiri was sleeping in her chair. He frowned. Shouldn't her servants be taking care of her? He shook his head and walked past the throne chairs before something caught his eye. He looked behind Kagiri's throne and noticed a rather odd blade. It was roughly concealed as one of the hind chair legs. Naruto scowled. This was way too much work but he was curious and he would rather be caught trying to take apart the throne chair then let his curiosity eat him away. He silently walked up to Kagiri and quickly jabbed her in the neck. She woke up with a start, gasping for air in shock, before she dropped back into a deep sleep.

Naruto pulled Kagiri off to one of the smaller thrones before kneeling in front of the main throne and taking a closer look at the blade. It was a sheathed but the byzantine designs that were carved into the sheath matched the chair legs. The detail of the sheath was enough to label it as a royal relic. A probably long forgotten heirloom, built into the throne chair to be forever forgotten. He slowly lifted the chair and took a small tug at the blade from under the chair. It didn't budge so he took a harder yank and the wood slightly cracked. Naruto grimaced as he noticed the small crack in the chair but took the unscathed blade and raised it to his eye level. He took another yank at the sheath and a few dust escaped as he pulled the long blade out of its casing. Though the outside looked absolutely ancient, the blade looked as if it was forged just yesterday. Not a single rust was spotted. There was a single sentence carved into the blade and Naruto took a closer look.

"この刃を振るう彼は、多くの刃を振るう."

"'_He who wields this blade, wields the blade of many_'...strange. "

Naruto looked at the blade again. He surged his chakra into the metal and almost dropped the blade when it caught aflame.

"Holy shi-!" Naruto immediately cut his chakra flow from the blade and watched as the fire died down. The words engraved that glowed a bright red before died down to an extinguished amber. The faded faint red hilt now turned a dark blood red and the old wooden sheath in his hand had renewed itself to a polished mahogany. The blade looked brand new again.

"It...feeds off chakra?"

Naruto flicked the blade around, catching it aflame every time he poured chakra into it. He scoffed and sheathed the blade. He took a look at the gold tip of the hilt and noticed a small safety lock. He flicked the small hook and the end of the hilt popped open with a click. Slowly opened it even further and noticed a slip of paper in the hollow of the handle. He pulled the small slim scroll out and recapped the hilt before unraveling the scroll.

"_It's dark, it was dangerous..._" The note was like a diary entry, Naruto noticed. He continued to read it.

"_It's dark, it was dangerous. What the princess was asking of us was out of this world. She mentioned a demon deep in the darkest passages of the palace. She told us we had to kill it. She had already sent fifty samurai in into the dungeons and not one had returned. I may be the one of the generals but I am not blind enough to realize her intentions. It's not a mission to kill off the demon, we are mere sacrifices. We are not being sent there to save the people, we are being sent to appease the hunger of a demon. My loyalty only goes so far and I know that if she calls my name to go into the dungeons, I will run away. My honor as a samurai, while unwavering, is only given to those who deserve and earn it. I am afraid my princess is not an exception, regardless of blood. I am even starting to believe she is an imposter. A faint flicker of her hair and it turns a vibrant green before going back to its usual red. Her normally pale blue flickers to a dark red. She's hiding something, something dark and evil. A shinobi war is upon us and I fear under the reign of this rather new princess, we will all perish_." (an:/ totally got this from Tomb Raider XD)

Naruto frowned. A demon? Sacrifice? Green hair? Red eyes? Shinobi war?

His head snapped up when Kagiri started to faintly move. He rolled the scroll and placed it back in the hilt. He took a look around the room and sealed the blade into a scroll before pocketing it into his Hakama. He looked at the missing leg of the chair and his eyes darted around. He created a balancing seal and slapped it underneath the chair, waiting for the ink to settle in before taking the blank page away and watching as the ink spread out before disappearing into the old wood. He slumped Kagiri up against the main throne, noticing how the chair didn't move from balance, signifying his seal was working. The missing leg was hard to notice, thank Kami, so Naruto started to walk away.

"I think that's enough adventure for today." He sighed as he slipped through the door.

He missed a pair of dark red eyes that flashed with slight anger. A flick of green hair caught light before it disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

Breakfast was a rather quiet affair as the five people were spread out across the extremely long table. Each seat was spread out a few meters from the other, completely cutting off connection from each guest. Naruto sat on the opposite end of Kagiri, who was quietly eating her food. Naruto's eyes flickered over to his genin. Sakura was eating silently, Sasuke was sitting quietly, and Konohamaru was monkeying around with a grandeur display of his lack of manners.

Naruto took in surreptitious glances around him. The note he found last night had mentioned dungeons within this palace. But after a quick scan last night, the entrance to these dungeons were definitely not obvious ones. He had also went around town early in the morning in hopes of asking the villagers what they knew about the local folklore. They had mentioned the Oni and it's powers but each villager had given him a different description. Some said it had feathered wings while other said it was reptilian. Some had said it took form of an old woman while others had said a voluptuous young one. Other said it had fiery red hair while others said it had a bright green.

"Namikaze-sama?"

Naruto's thoughts were brought to a halt as a servant next to him started to collect his plates. He noticed a dark red scar that started at the back of her jaw and made its way down to her collar bone, disappearing into her shirt. His eyes flickered up to her face and noticed she was watching him.

"May I ask how you-?" Naruto wondered.

"The Oni."

Naruto flinched at the curt reply as the young maid turned heels and simply walked away with haste. Naruto's blood ran cold as he recalled her voice. It was brought down to a low whisper and the trembling caused her to hesitate at the "O". Her eyes darted over to Kagiri and then around the room before they went back to his face. She looked absolutely terrified but at the same time, pressured to tell him the truth. Her silent plead for safety did not go unheard.

"Namikaze, is there an issue? You've been staring off at your empty table for a while. Do you need your plates back? Were you not done?"

Naruto looked up to Kagiri who was across the long table. He gave her a closed eyed smile shaking his head.

"Nothing of the sort. No need to be trifled by such small thoughts. I was just thinking."

"Very well. There is going to be a small festival tonight. You and your escorts are free to do as you please for the rest of the day until then."

"Thank you, Kagiri-hime"

* * *

Naruto had sent his genin to do "recon" in the village. It was mainly a distraction as he made his way around the palace toward the servant quarters. He caught sight of the previous maid and quickly caught hold of her.

"Excuse me!" Naruto called out.

She turned and her face faltered.

"N-Namikaze-sama, what can I do for you?"

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Hai, Namikaze-sama"

"Please follow me."

Naruto lead her to an empty hall before he created a sound barrier around them.

"I need you to tell me about the Oni."

The girl gasped as she started to nervously shift her weight.

"I put a sound barrier around us so no one can hear what we are saying." Naruto assured her. "I just really need to know and it seems you have encountered it.

"encountered it..." She whispered hollowly, "I could almost feel her breath on my skin."

She looked up with a bit more ferocity.

"I did encounter the Oni. I was very very young. I by accidently ventured off into the dungeons. It had been right before the annihilation of the entire Uzumaki clan. I had been five when this happened. I fell into a trapped door and couldn't find my way back. I had been attacked by the Oni. But she deemed me not worth her time and left me in the cave after slashing at my neck-"

"Her?"

"-yes. The Oni was a woman. I could see her silhouette and the glow of her red eyes. She had told me that I wasn't worth the sacrifice and left me in the dark to die."

"How did you survive then? You're here aren't you?"

A ghost of a smile passed her lips. A nostalgic look crossed her face.

"The Uzumaki heir found me. She was venturing the cave like an adventure and found me. She apparently knew the caves from the inside out. She never heard of the Oni as she had never encountered it but she mentioned she'd been in the caves more than once."

"The heir?"

"Uzumaki Kushina"

Naruto's eyes went wide.

"She was eight at the time and she was still stronger than a lot of people. She carried me back to the surface and I had survived somehow. I will forever be indebted to her."

"This Oni, though. Could you describe her a little more?"

"Hmmm. She had a very cheery voice. She was rather petit and her voice was a little high. She had fangs though. She also had long horns. I couldn't see much because she remained in the shadows but her smell...her smell was repugnant. It smelt of something rotting but rather sweet. It smelt strongly of Iron and I almost vomited. I will never forget that smell."

"Rotting flesh and blood."

"Sorry?"

"The smell you smelled. It was rotting human flesh and blood." Naruto clarified.

The servant remained silent.

"Thank you for your time, miss-?"

"Kairi...my name is Kairi"

"I will take my leave, Kairi-san."

Naruto turned to leave before he stopped mid-step.

"Though I have one question, Kairi..."

"Namikaze-sama?"

"...what is an pure blood Uzumaki doing as a servant?"

Naruto turned and smirked before releasing the silencing seal and flashing away, leaving Kairi in shock.

* * *

Naruto knew what he was looking for. The smell of rotting flesh and blood could only be covered so much and there were only a few plausible places in the entire palace. He had visited every spot but a trap door could not be found. He looked around and even tried his Douton: Chikyuu no Hansha, Hankyouteii Jutsu but found nothing. He was getting frustrated by the dead ends he was running into. Kairi tried to help but she didn't remember where the trap door was. Naruto resigned and decided to humor his genins who were currently bored out of their minds.

"Kagiri-hime, I was wondering if I could visit your armory. I was hoping to train my students and I don't have any blades for each of them."

"YOU'RE TEACHING US THE SWORD? OH BOY!" Konohamaru whooped as he ran around in circles. Naruto gave a defeated sigh as Kagiri sent a servant to lead them.

The Armory was a rather large room with racks of swords lining up against the wall. Show cases of rather intricate katanas laid gently in silk bedding. Swords of generals who had died off or sacrificed, Naruto added, were sealed away and kept in the back. There were other weapons and Naruto couldn't help but think of a weapons mistress back in konoha who would've loved to come here. He was passing along the racks of weapons when he spotted in the corner of his eye a red hilted sword. He walked over to it and froze.

His heart almost stopped as the pungent smell of rotting flesh and blood wafted his nose. The rather concentrated smell wasn't the only thing that threw him off though. The red sheathed sword he caught sight of looked frighteningly similar to the one he found in the throne room. He picked it up, but his hand felt something wet and he immediately let go and looked at his palm. He hand was covered in red and he brought his hand closer to his nose and almost gagged as the smell of rotting flesh and blood grew even stronger. He ignored the blood and unsheathed his sword. He read the engravings that led down the blade.

"振るう多くの刃、多くの血があなたの手になります"

"'_Wield the blade of many, and the blood of many will be on your hands_'..." Naruto muttered.

The blade in his hand was apparently the twin to the blade in his possession. He tried to channel chakra into the blade, seeing if it caught the same results as the other but nothing happened. He frowned. He looked back at his hand and noticed that the blood was gone. His hands were clean again. Another thing he noticed was that the blade looked brand new.

Was someone feeding chakra into it recently?

His head darted around and he noticed behind the sword rack a small trap door. He smiled.

* * *

Naruto looked at the three genins passed out on the floor. He had the decency to look a little embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess I went too hard on them..." He chuckled. He created clones and ordered them to take the genin to their room. Meanwhile he dashed off to the armory once more. Dawned in his jounin outfit he moved over to the trap door he found earlier. The smell reached his nose again and he sniffled before moving the rack aside. He popped the door open and took a look at the dark hole in front of him.

"Here goes nothing..." he muttered.

He entered the small tunnel and reached a small room. There was a seal on the cave wall and a glowing red light on the floor below it. On both sides there were tunnels that went deeper. He looked at the seal and noticed the dual layers. It was a work of no amateur but it wasn't that extravagant. Possibly the work of a student. He continued to read the seal and noticed the summoning agent. He frowned. He was paranoid. What if this seal summoned the Oni? But the seal was rather sloppy hence he ruled that out. He poured chakra into the seal and backed up as a cloud of smoke appeared. Soft coughing sounds reached his ears and the smoke cleared away, revealing a small eight year old girl with long red hair. Her face was round like a tomato and she wore a small blush making her face a little red. She cleared her throat and looked around.

"It worked?" she continued to cough. She caught sight of Naruto and frowned.

"And who are you, -ttebane?"

"'-ttebane'?"

She blushed and covered her mouth before she gritted her teeth.

"Don't laugh!" She growled.

Naruto tried to stifle his laughter before continuing.

"Can...can you explain to me why you put a summoning seal here?"

"You don't look like an Uzumaki...how do you know of this seal?"

"I am an Uzumaki...just not redheaded..."

She looked skeptical before crossing her arms and giving him a smug look.

"I'm what we call a hologram. I'm not really here but at the same time I have a mind of my own. My owner is probably not here right now. What I am, is a projection of her mind. She applied chakra here and so every time there is an intruder or venturer in here, I am summoned to guide them back out."

"This place is rather frightening for a little eight year old to know so well..."

"I'm not little!" She protested.

Naruto chuckled before jabbing her forehead with two fingers.

"Compared to me, you're pretty little."

"Che- stop treating me like child-ttebane!"

"You said it again..." Naruto bemused.

The girl frowned before blushing even more.

"Don't worry, my mother says "dattebane" too..." Naruto assured before looking around. The little girl looked amazed.

"Really? Who is your mother? Is she an Uzumaki?"

Naruto turned back to her.

"Hmm? Uh, yeah. She seemed to pass her verbal tick to me. I'm Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" Naruto gave her cheery grin.

"Namikaze? Naruto? Who in their right mind names their kid fishcake?"

Naruto scoffed.

"Sorry tomato head, I wasn't aware that my parent's weren't in their right minds." He jabbed her forehead again. She violently rubbed the spot he poked.

"I'm not a tomato!" She growled.

"Yeah whatever. You're a guide right? You must know about the Oni then..."

"Oni?" A flash of recognition flashed her face before she turned apathetic again.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." the girl crossed her arms.

Naruto sighed.

"I know when you're lying. Well, it doesn't matter. You're the guide so I guess you should follow me."

"Hmph. If it wasn't for the command function in my program, I would have returned to that seal. Like hell I would follow a fishcake on my own will."

"Sure, whatever kid." Naruto drawled as he started to walk towards the right tunnel.

"Don't go that way, it leads to traps..." the girl spoke up.

Naruto looked toward her and changed his direction the left.

"Any way we can get light?"

"You won't need light. You're eyes will get used to it. Or you could send chakra into your eyes to enhance it." The girl clarified.

"You're a ninja?"

"A ninja in training."

"Hmmm...that's cute."

"Shut up, Fishcake!"

"Make me, Tomato." Naruto stuck his tongue out before he made his way through the tunnel.

"Just one question. Does this hologram stuff continue on even after decades the seal has been made?" Naruto asked.

"Correct. My seal was created when my user was eight years old. When she's fifty, I'll still be here in my eight year old body with my eight year old mind."

"Does your memory get transferred back to the original?"

"Hmm...I think when I reenter the seal it will...at least that's what the scroll said"

"When was your seal created?"

"I was created in-"

The girl's voice was cut short when a faint rumbling was heard and the floor began to vibrate. An echo of a roar was heard far away and the girl's face blanched.

"Fishcake...it's time to start running in the opposite direction."

Naruto raised a brow but didn't question. He started to sprint in the direction he came from. He checked to see if the girl caught up and to his surprise the girl was right next to him.

"Don't be surprised, I'm a hologram remember? I can go whatever speed I want..." She huffed as Naruto continued to run.

"Can you explain exactly what I'm running from?"

"The Oni."

"I thought you said you didn't know what that was..." Naruto deadpanned.

"I know there's an Oni but I never personally met it."

"How did you manage to escape it? I've heard grown samurai were killed by this thing."

"I've managed to avoid it because it is a rather dull creature. Its banal ways of hunting are rather predictable. If you learn the tricks of the trade for evading, this thing will seem like a stupid dunce." The girl announced proudly.

"huh..." Naruto looked thoughtful as he continued to run.

"Any time I can stop?"

"I think you're safe now. You're close to the fountain of the dead. Oni doesn't come around here often."

"Why is that?"

"It was said that the Oni use to be a beautiful young woman. But her lover died and she found out that he was cheating on her. She became jealous and vengeful but she was repulsed by the souls of the dead. The fountain of the dead is where people float bodies away to the underworld. I don't think it's real and the bodies probably all decayed to the bottom of the water but it's Uzumaki folklore."

"Why is the Oni in the dungeons then?"

"Well, she had killed her lover's mistress and so she was banished to the caves. It was here where she became the Oni. She fed off of the other banished people. But once the people discovered she was eating the banished men, they stopped the punishment. So she surfaced and went through the town eating the young men. They sent her back into the dungeons and sealed her off into the palace. They sent sacrifices, instead, to appease her."

"I heard a kid survived her attacks though. She said the Oni spared her saying she wasn't good enough."

"Yeah, apparently the Oni only likes young guys because they are around the same age as her lover."

"Well, I need to find this Oni."

"What! Are you insane? She'll eat you! You're like bare minimum, but you're within the age range!"

"Well, I'm curious and I need to discover the true purpose of this palace. There are many Uzumaki vaults down here, am I correct?"

"Well, yeah, but why would you need to go to the Uzumaki vaults?"

"Well, I'm a bit fishy as to the intentions of some of the people up in the surface. They might take my blood to use on the vaults so I need to know what they're after."

"Can't they just take any Uzumaki's blood?"

"Hmm, they could but they're after mine specifically." Naruto decided to give half the truth because the girl probably didn't want to know that her whole clan was wiped out and that maybe she was part of the casualties.

"Well, I could lead you to the vaults."

"Cool, lead the way...tomato..."

"Shut it, Fishcake."

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the door as the little girl kicked a few rocks around impatiently.

"Are you just going to look at it or are you going to open it, -ttebane?" the girl asked impatiently.

Naruto jabbed his hands into the ground.

Douton: Chikyuu no Hansha, Hankyouteii!

He received the information he needed and frowned.

"Well, it's just scrolls mainly, a few heirlooms, I guess a few statues, and that's it..."

"Whoa! How did you do that?!" The girl asked in awe.

Naruto raised a brow again and looked at her. He jabbed his fingers into her forehead again.

"I'm a ninja, tomato. It's a jutsu."

The girl rubbed her forehead again and pouted.

"Could you teach me? Maybe my original could use it..."

"Hmmm...I wouldn't do that because what if your original is evil?" Naruto gave a pondering look before walking away. The girl chased after him.

"Stingy..." she muttered.

They visited a few more vaults before Naruto finally made it back to the entrance.

"I'll be back."

"It's not like I can move anyways, stupid. I'm stuck here via seal, Fishcake. I'll see ya when you return."

Naruto poked her forehead again before ruffling her hair affectionately.

"See ya, Tomato..."

Naruto left and the girl returned to the seal.

* * *

Naruto prepared for the party as he looked at his hakama. His genin walked in dressed in their own hakamas and kimonos. He smiled to the three of them before he was escorted out to the party.

It was a lavish party with performers dancing everywhere. The sea of red haired people filled the room and Naruto navigated his way over to Kagiri.

"Kagiri-hime" he bowed.

"Ah, Namikaze-san" Kagiri gave a light bow and offered her hand as Naruto took it in his own.

"I guess I will be escorting you as your fiance" Naruto hummed. Kagiri only laughed.

"Ah yes, that. I have to thank you for your sacrifice of reputation."

"Your condolences are unnecessary. I'm doing what needs to be done."

They fell silent until Kagiri was offered to dance by her cousin. Naruto was left alone at the spread and he drank out of his cup. Parties were never his thing anyways. He was about to leave until and a slender hand clasped his shoulder. Naruto slowly turned around and was met with a pair of dark brown eyes.

"May I help you miss?"

"Hmmm, Namikaze-sama. I couldn't help but notice you were all alone so I decided to join you in your solitude."

"It isn't solitude if you intend to join me." Naruto countered. He looked at the girl skeptically. Her hair was black and tied neatly into a bun and her kimono looked seriously outdated. All in all, her appearance had nothing to brag home about. Naruto shifted and stood still.

"Well, then, miss, what are we going to do in our solitude?"

She lifted to glasses of liquor and offered a cup to Naruto.

"Surely a shinobi like you drinks, right?" She gave him a questioning look as he hesitantly takes the cup.

"I don't take drinks from strangers..." he mutters.

She slips the cup out of his hand and takes a sip before handing it back to him.

"If poisoned is what you're looking for, it isn't here." She took a sip from her own glass and gave him a smile.

Still skeptical, Naruto slowly raised the cup to his mouth and sipped before looked back at her.

"It's rather troublesome that an Iwa nin is here in the land of pebbles. What are you here for, assassination? Bounty?"

"You're funny, Namikaze. I'm not here for your blood. Rather, I think we share a common goal. Those Uzushiogakure scrolls aren't meant to be opened and it would be rather dangerous for a bunch of civilians to obtain such powerful knowledge."

"And Iwa isn't after the 'powerful knowledge' themselves?"

"Of course not. We're as good in Fuuinjutsu as we are good at killing your father. It's just not working out."

Naruto chuckled and the girl chuckled along.

"Well, it's been a rather pleas-"

Naruto gasped as someone roughly shoved him in the shoulder. Naruto looked at the offender to see a man carrying empty wooden plates quickly moving through the crowd. The man gave a quick apology before rushing away. Naruto winced when he felt a small pinch on his arm, he looked to see that he got a splinter. He carefully plucked it out before turning back to the Iwa nin.

"Well, it's been a pleasure, Kunoichi-san. I hope your endeavors in ending my father's life are not in vain, and hopefully your mission to protect your sworn enemy's son will be successful." Naruto smiled and the girl only chuckled.

"I have to say, you blondies are quite the humorous ones. Another time then, Namikaze"

"Another time." Naruto nodded and began to walk away, walking through the empty corridors of the palace as the muffled sounds of the party grew fainter.

His slipped to the wall and hugged it closely as his vision started to become foggy. His lids grew heavy and his head was spinning. He didn't remember drinking too much alcohol yet he felt rather light headed. He caught sight of a flash of green before everything went black.

* * *

An:/ I know, long chapter, and it's only part 2. The Omake will hopefully finish next chapter. So, You starting to see some connections going on? Like who the little girl is in the cave? And maybe a green haired cheerful girl looks rather familiar...And where does Kagiri's intentions lie?

* * *

Review Response:

* * *

SakuraFairy1990: Ah yes, Naruto is a bit over dramatic about his trip XD

The Keeper of Worlds: you and THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ are all out to usurp me from my power. I am the supreme ruler of the world! Your falcon punch means nothing if I RASENGAN YOU FIRST! GHERJNFDJSFDS the Aerotyl you had hit with the falcon punch was actually a kagebunshin XD

Doomslayer10000: So...didja see Akarii here? Didja didja? XD

DiariesAreStupid: *deadpans* dammit Sasuke, I thought we had something special...FINE! Well, Kakashi is my best buddy right? Kakashi: *looks up from book* Sure... Aerotyl: Good enough.

Zatheko: Hooded man revealed indeed!

Showtime09: Aww thanks! That means a lot!

foggraven: Of course, pervertedness comes in either contamination or genetics XD

claymore78: More natural? Awesome, it seems I haven't failed after all!

ero-sennin56: I will explain perhaps at a later date...remind me. Because it's a bit late to be talking about the Kiri wars at this point in time, especially with this arc ending extremely soon...

Foxxel: I think I'm just going to fall in love with all your reviews and then proceed to marry them...AND GET ME A JETPACK TOO! I WANT ONE!

SuomiTytt: Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you like my story! I hope you catch up in time to read this review response!

blair27: My prom date is pretty good. XD Though I have absolutely no idea what to do (As a junior, I'm completely left out of the memo group...*cries*)

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: HA! IN YOUR FACE SASUKE! LITERALLY! Did you just capture Sasuke as a pokemon? Dude! You could've trained him and became a pokemon trainer! Come on! You missed a great chance to "Be the very best like no one ever was" Isn't that better than being the ruler of the universe? I think so...and now you threw it in a volcano...*looks down the volcano* oh well...

Hatred bear it Fangs: YES SLEEP IS MORE IMPORTANT JUST LIKE HOW IM UP AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING UPDATING THIS STORY don't follow my example, go to sleep early, dead serious. Hopefully you'll catch up though! After your power nap, you only have 6 or more chapters to go! (I'm too lazy for math right now)

: Oh my gawd...thanky for all the reviews! I'm glad you like my story and your reviews make me bubbly! When you suddenly reviewed from chapter 1 I started laughing for some odd reason...well, keep on reading!

thissotrysucks:

Here we go again *sigh* I'm a bit rusty on **flame responses** so bear with me for a moment.

Let me get this straight. You read all the way to chapter 40...just to tell me I stole from a nonexistent writer...Like actually, who the fuck is Groomer. He doesn't exist in the fanfic database. I never even heard of the poor bastard so there is no way I could've stolen from him or anybody for that matter because I have never read a story like mine, thank you very much. Get your facts straight, bro. Now as much as you'd like for me to go fuck myself, I'm just not really into that and I'm not as narcissistic as you think. Also, learn how to spell "Story" correctly because I'm pretty sure my story isnt a "sotry"...that isn't even a word. Like we already have "supert", so don't try to make sotry a thing, it's just not going to happen. On a completely different note, thank you for your review, you just added to my wonderful 650 and counting review count. I hope you continue your reading of my story so you can review again. I look forward to it, fucknuts!

Duplex8: Yes. Sakura will be trained by Tsunade, and Rei and Rin.

Tsuukiyomi: Teehee?

Naruto Sakura Uzumaki: *high five* I've never really met anyone who's played the game (like yeah, people play it but I've never talked to anyone about it) it's good to see there are others out there. Well I'm glad your reading my story! Continue to read and I hope you enjoy!

Liam Minato: I am ambivalent as to how I feel about this. Is this a hate review or a complain? Like are you saying that I have too many chapters and that you're having trouble reading all of them? Or is it that you continued to read my story even if you didn't like it and now you've given up because you just grew sick of it and decided to be a massive shit head? I'm sorry if it was not intended to be offensive but seriously, your review is confusing me. That or you're high because this was posted on 4/20...blazing it hard I guess?

StreetFighter: was the chinese festival really that good? I think I might've indirectly answered your questions already. And because Naruto left before Sakura finished, he missed out on a lot...just going to leave it at that...

Spartan12458: Okie thanky! Don't get too addicted, I'm afraid there is not rehab for the addiction on The Namikaze Legend XD

Duesal10: I'm glad someone shares the same views as me! yeah, Naruto is a bit too young for romance right now...

Tigress-of-the-Grove: I'm laughing at your reviews for some odd reason. I didnt' know you couldn't review on the same chapter! Well I'm kinda happy about your dedication to get your review across though. But you can always PM me if fanfiction isn't allowing you to post that review! Naruto kinda lacked courage there but he's young, he's got a few years, give or take, to win the girl right...hint hint wink wink

* * *

End of Review response

I hope you know that previous message about flames wasn't an invitation but whatever. I kinda like replying to flame because it's hilarious how some people are ridiculously thick headed. I especially like the youtubers that put hate comments. They're my favorite. I heard this analogy somewhere and I'd like to use it. Responding to you guys is like playing chess with a pigeon, you can say all you want but the pigeon is just going to march around the board, knocking off the pieces, and strutting around like it won because it has absolutely no idea what it's saying and probably doesn't listen to reason. Okay so maybe I twisted the analogy a bit from the original but it has served it's purpose. I just hope that the haters have the ability to read this, because pigeons can't read...

Aerotyl over and out.


	42. Chapter 42

An:/ Alright, I believe I have to give an apology. I've been a total asshole to my readership for a whole month and a half. I dropped off the face of the Earth and was unable to warn you of my unexpected accidently asshole-like hiatus. I promised you all that I would never go on hiatus without warning you and a valid reason and I broke that promise. Though I believe I have valid reasons for my behavior, they are still unacceptable and I give my most sincerest apologies. Procrastination, laziness, standardized exams, and other personal issues contributed to it but let's not indulge ourselves in my inner turmoil and get on with the formal apology.

I am sorry for being a complete dickwad and for not updating my stor(ies). Next time I fall off the edge of the Earth, I'll make sure to warn you guys in advance. Dead serious.

As a result, I decided to give you both the omake ending and the story soon after. Hey! It's like christmas up here again (and/or (C)hanukkah and other religious festivities)! So two chapters in a matter of days and that's the end of the story until the sequel comes out which I promise I will deliver in a day or so. Pinky promise I swear, I won't sleep until I get it in...which I will do, I will even take video/commentary and put it somewhere for you to see me stay up all night trying to start the sequel (only if you want me to though, I'd hate to waste your time.)

The Beta offer is still up for grabs, I'll should ask for like a resume or something because I wasn't expecting more than one person to offer (how am I gonna pick out of all you guys! TT TT). So, for the "resume" I just need you to send me a paragraph talking about yourself (not personal info) like for example, tell me about your OTP or your favorite manga/anime. I just want to see how you write so type to the best of your abilities (so make sure you're not using too much slang or any texting language (u, omg, ur, wtf, lol) and punctuation and grammar is a must.) I know I'm being picky but I want the best for my readers! Regardless, send it to me by PM if you want it private otherwise leave your paragraph in the reviews!

If it's of any consolation, this chapter is the final draft of **seven different variations**. That's right, I rewrote this chapter seven different time before I was vaguely satisfied with the results. Don't make me change my mind.

PART 1(CHAP 24) PART 2(CHAP 41)

I PRESENT THEE PART 3 OF THE AWESOME OMAKE

I've decided to call this omake: Memories of an Uzumaki

* * *

Naruto's head felt like lead and his skin burned as if he was on fire. He stifled a groan as his bones ached and his neck was stiff. He felt the jab of sharp rocks underneath him and a few along the small of his back. He tried to sense the chakra around him but felt nothing. The perpetual drip of water echoed through the place of his captivity. Naruto could only deduce that he was back in the dungeons.

"Oi, Fishcake, are you going to wake up or what?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open at the sound of the little girl's voice.

"Gah! What are you doing here? I didn't summon you!"

"Che- thought you'd be happy to see me. Regardless, it appears the last time you came here, you flooded the seal with your chakra and overrided a bunch of the functions. I'm now summoned whenever you're on the Uzumaki Palace grounds."

"Well, that's great and all but the real question is, Tomato, where am I?"

"Hmph, the underground royal catacombs of the Uzumaki clan..."

Naruto took a look around the large room. Skulls lined along the walls on stone shelves and intricate swirls were carved into the ceiling, all surrounding an even larger swirl at the center.

"Apparently, the catacombs so happen to hold quite a lot of vaults so don't cut yourself open otherwise a crap ton of scrolls will rain down upon you" The hologram crossed her arms.

"That's comforting that the only reason you don't want me hurt is the vaults. No '_I care too much about you, Fishcake_' or '_I would just be heartbroken if you got the smallest cut!'_ How comforting" Naruto deadpanned.

"Che, just be grateful I'm telling you all this."

Naruto looked at the walls which had the weirdest carvings and paintings. He walked up to a peculiar painting with a green scaled monster behind a redheaded woman.

"This is interesting..." Naruto hummed to himself.

"That...that is the story! The story of the Oni!" the hologram exclaimed as she practically ran towards the painting.

Naruto stepped aside as the girl ran her hand along the painting and looked around in awe. But his eyes narrowed when the girl's eyes widened.

"I...I remember...the Oni...no...it's not really an Oni."

"What? Speak up."

"'Oni' isn't it's real name. It isn't even a demon really. It's a summon."

"A what?"

"A summon. It belongs to a specific family branch of the Uzumakis. It's really just a large shapeshifting lizard." The hologram said proudly.

Naruto raised a brow as he reproached the painting.

"You tell this to me now? Does it tell anything else about it?"

"Well, no but I can tell you more about it. Well, only just a little. I wasn't paying attention in class when we learned about it. Probably why I didn't really know much about it before this picture" She murmured.

"Oh why couldn't you pay attention to probably the most important lesson you ever needed!" Naruto threw his hand up in exasperation.

"Well, I know the Oni is a shapeshifter. Which is probably why they say she takes shape as a woman. And the summoner can only be female. It was passed down to the heir of the branch and the branch was especially known for this specific summon. But I'm part of the main branch so I don't really pay attention to all that."

"Do you know it's name?"

"...No.."

"Urgh...well, whatever. I guess that's enough." Naruto looked around again as he walked around the room to view the paintings.

"Hmm...I've noticed there are no doors...Any hopes of getting out of this shit hole, Tomato?" Naruto hummed.

"Yeah, apparently, during the First shinobi war, they converted this place into a prison and set seals up that made it a one way in one way out. If you knew where the seal was then you could open the door but it's locked right now."

"Well, no shit, Tomato, otherwise I wouldn't be here right now"

"No need to get prissy, Fishcake. I was just helping." She snapped.

Naruto ignored the jab and walked towards the center of the tomb.

"Do you know what type of seal it is?"

"It's a tri barrier seal with 16 prongs. I have yet to find a way to break it but I'm sure my original had plenty of time to research it. It's normally a 3 to 5 meter in radius seal that stretches across the floor to the ceiling though there are 10 meter variations.."

He looked around and formed a ram seal. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, wait. What are you going to do?"

Naruto cracked his left eye open to look at the hologram.

"Overflow the room with chakra and sniff out the seal. I don't have to decipher it. I just have to put enough chakra to override the activation and thus cancel it's effects.""

"What?! That requires a motherload of chakra! Amounts like that could kill you! And even if you manage to do that, you'll blow you and the room sky high."

"Well, I happen to have that "motherload" of chakra, so there."

"Wha- how?"

"...Ever heard of a _Jinchuuriki_?"

The hologram immediately went quiet and that was all Naruto needed.

"Anyways, I can pull off the chakra amount and blowing this place sky high is only a plus-"

"-wait"

It was too late as Naruto concentrated on his chakra and unleashed the wave of chakra. The visibility of the clear blue wisps of energy amazed the hologram as it looked around wide-eyed at the large display of chakra. The floor moaned until the sounds of the stone slabs cracking reached their ears. Suddenly, Naruto began to freefall as the floor gave out from under them, creating a large tunnel around him. The hologram floated next to Naruto as he tried to push away the skulls and debris falling with him.

"Well, maybe not sky high, but you definitely blew that place up and now you're going to die. Way to go, idiot."

Naruto casually looked at the girl with a face of indifference.

"I've been through worse."

The girl looked at him skeptically.

"Right, and I'm a hippopotamus"

"Oh, how right you are."

The girl growled.

"If I could punch you, I would"

"What's stopping you?"

"Cheeky brat"

"I'm older than you, twerp. You can't call me 'brat'"

"...Of course, I can, brat!"

"Twerp"

"Fishcake"

"Tomato"

Naruto frowned as he looked up past his waving bangs.

"I didn't think I'd have to resort to this..."

He bit his thumb and signed a few seals before slamming his hand on a slamming skull.

"Sorry, buddy"

_Kuchiyose no jutsu!_

The large smoke brought Naruto's fall to a halt as he grunted on impact.

"What the bloody hell was that!" The hologram cried.

"Naruto-sama, I'm going to get a headache if you hit my head that hard..."

"I think I have a concussion..." Naruto groaned.

"Fishcake! FISHCAKE! NARUTO! What is this? What are we on?" (an:/ drugs yo..haha)

The hologram began to panic as she paced around the fur. The cloud finally dissipated, revealing a large grey fox that had claws hooking into the rocks. The fox looked down and back up.

"You don't expect me to scale this, do you, Naruto-sama?"

"No, no, just blow up the bottom with a fireball, if you would do the honors."

"I might need a wind jutsu-"

"Way ahead of you"

_Fuuton: Daitoppa!_

_Katon: Gouka Messhitsu!_

The combined fire power blasted through and Naruto watched as the fireball continue to descend down the tunnel. The girl looked down.

"It's not stopping." She said warily.

"Shit."

The two looked over the edge of the large fox's body, watching the fireball disappear as the distance grew. Naruto leaned back and let out a loud sigh.

"Well there goes everyt-"

The faint sound of rumbling and the vibrations on the wall brought Naruto to a halt as his eyes widened. He looked back over the fox to see the bright orange returning. Fast.

"Uh-oh. Here it comes. Get ready."

"That's just you talking to yourself. I don't need to prepare for anything."

"Probably, but whatever."

_Fuuin: Toki kukan no kaze no Shouheki!_ (an:/ I typed this long ago so I don't remember the meaning)

Naruto slammed his hand downward and the fox disappeared just as the seal activated, creating a small layer of air that protected him. The bright red molten fire that was rising at alarming speeds was now in sight, just a few dozen meters below him. The heat began to rise around him as Naruto braced himself for impact. The explosion of heat slammed into his barrier and began to fight against it as Naruto remained steadfast.

"What are you doing!" the girl exclaimed.

"Hold on! I'm causing a build up to rocket us outta here." he gritted through his teeth.

"Are you insane?" she cried out.

"A little!" he smirked as he continued to focus on the heat.

His arm was shaking as the resistance became unbearable.

"Here we go..." he muttered just as he released the hold he had on the seal and the pressure built up shot him upward. The seal remained between him and the explosion, leaving the blonde unscathed. Naruto began to shoot up to the top at high speeds. He closed his eyes and "enjoyed" the ride as the hologram next to him was panicking but matching the same speeds.

"You're going to hit the top you know, and then splat! Your pathetic life will be over! Are you listening!?" She tried to nudge him, but her hand went through him and Naruto just kept his eyes closed.

"FISHCAKE! MAKE A BARRIER IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU BECOME A SHIT STAIN ON THE WALL!"

"No worries, the pressure will slow down just before I make it to the top, we're still pretty far from the surface." He responded calmly, keeping his eyes closed.

Naruto was right in respects to the timing. The way up was smooth sailing until the very top where the pressure disappeared and his "ride" jerked a few times before coming to a halt. Just before Naruto began to freefall again, he latched his feet onto the sides of the tunnel and channeled chakra into them. The seal disappeared and the remainder of the explosion had already dissipated. He climbed his way up the tunnel with the hologram giving him a few motivations along the way.

"_Get your ass moving, Fishcake._" or "_My grandma can move faster than your slow ass._" or "_A butterfly just flew past us you freaking snail. And you call yourself a ninja._" were just a few of her favorite quotes as she urged Naruto to move forward. It was still a long climb and when Naruto finally made it to the top, he slumped over the edge and noticed the opening of the cell. He smiled and got up to move right before a hand chopped the back of his neck.

* * *

"Argh! Is this going to be a regular occurrence because I'm not sure my fragile neck can take it!" Naruto growled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You've gotta be kidding me" he muttered.

He noted the smooth marble flooring underneath him and the lack of bindings. How odd. The room was softly illuminated by a single bowl of fire at the center in front of a few thrones. Ah, the throne room. Naruto took a look around the dimmed room, noting the dark shadows that surrounded him. The seat that was missing a leg seemed to have disappeared as well. Naruto started to feel off as he continued to take in his surroundings.

"Waking up, are you?"

Naruto's head snapped up when he heard a voice. A figure began to emerge from the shadows, revealing a green haired woman.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded, slowly getting up.

"Hmmm...Like I would tell you." She chirped, "But I guess you can call me, The great supreme ruler of the world, if you'd like" She giggled.

"Tell. Me. Your. Name" he hissed.

"Che- rude. I'm not telling you name." she huffed.

Naruto looked around her to see any form of identification, only finding a hitai ate with three circles forming a triangle.

"You're a ninja from the Land of pebbles? I thought they were wiped out."

"Hmm, they were. I just grabbed one from a dead one right outside the palace," she squealed, "his hand was all bloody, ewww"

Naruto only deadpanned. _Who the fuck is this girl?_

"Look, from what I know, it's probably you that's going around knocking me out here and there. Could you just tell me what you need?"

The girl ceased her ramblings and turned to Naruto with a small smile gracing her lips.

"Hmmm...let's just I'm planning a small..._reunion_."

"A...reunion?"

"Correct!" She gave a peace sign before hopping onto the main throne.

"May I ask what kind of a reunion?"

"A reunion where everyone get's thrown into a deathmatch and kill each other off!" She sang as she began to pick at her nails.

Naruto crossed his arms and leaned back against a pillar.

"Not much of a party if there's only me..."

"Heehee, that's where you are wrong~!"

She snapped her fingers and two figures were chucked out from the shadows and slumped onto the floor in front of the chair. Naruto rushed over to check the two.

"Kairi and Kagiri!" he gasped. He went over to check for wounds only to find both unscathed but unconscious.

"They're not gonna wake up just 'cause you say their names, ya know."

"Let me guess, a reunion with the Uzumaki clan?" Naruto growled.

"Correct!" she chirped.

"Well I hate to break it to you, but you're missing a very important member."

"Oh not to worry. She'll be here soon, I guess. But we'll just have to make do with her hologram."

Naruto stiffened and looked back at the small girl with his mouth agape.

"K-Kushina...-chan?"

The girl's eyes widened before she pointed at him accusingly.

"How the hell do you know my name! I never told you-ttebane!"

"Shit...This is so fucked up." Naruto muttered.

"Are you two done because I have a party to start."

The two Uzumakis looked at the green haired woman and glared. The green girl turned away and began to skip towards the shadows.

"Hey! Wait!"

The woman twirled around to face Naruto.

"Who...who are you and who do you work for?" Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think you're in the right position to be asking questions, Namikaze-kun..."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted but it was in vain as the woman remained silent. A small groan was heard from the seats and Naruto looked to see who was awakening.

"Where am I?"

Kairi opened her eyes a little and shifted in her seat. She blinked a few times to see Naruto leaned against the wall.

"Kairi-san, are you alright?"

She shifted a little and sat up. She looked to the side to se Kagiri waking up as well.

"I-I think I'm fine..." She rubbed her head and looked back at Naruto who was now focused on Kagiri.

"Kagiri-hime, how about you? Are you okay?"

Kagiri sat up as well, clutching her head.

"Damn those ruffians, who do they think they are? Treating me this way."

Kairi looked at Kagiri.

"I'm glad you're okay, Kagiri-sama. We will get you out soon."

Kairi motioned to hold Kagiri but the princess slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch me." Kagiri snapped.

Kagiri caught sight of the green haired lady and she gasped.

"You...what are you-?"

"Kagiri-hime? You know her?" Naruto asked carefully.

"I-I-"

"No need to deny the truth, Kagiri-hime. Let's say that we're _business associates_" The green haired girl chirped.

Naruto narrowed his eyes but Kairi's gasp caught his attention.

"You...what are you doing with her?" Kairi glared at Kagiri.

Kairi grabbed the collar of Kagiri's Kimono and brough Kagiri's face to her level.

"You're business associates with her? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Unhand me! You're my subordinate! I don't need you to question me!"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE? SHE'S THE-"

"Now now girls. Let's not fight here." The girl hummed, her eyes glinting, "We have more important things to do...like kill the princess"

The girl raised her arm and a long blade shot out of her sleeve. Kagiri shrieked and Naruto was on the move, dashing towards the advancing assassin. Rasengan at hand, Naruto smashed the ground between the Kagiri and the girl. The girl got up and brushed herself off, the blade retreating back into her sleeve. She tsked.

"This isn't going to work. You're a lot harder to get rid of..." she muttered, uncharacteristically serious.

She began to retreat into the shadows as Naruto ran towards her, only to reach nothing. He looked around and saw that the girl had left. He started to walk back towards the two awakening Uzumaki when an explosion was heard from outside and the room began to shake. Naruto froze and looked around before the floor beneath them began to groan. He ran towards the girls.

"You two, you need to get out of here, now!"

Hologram Kushina slowly approached the panicking Naruto when things went downhill. A crack formed in the middle of the room and an unhuman-like shriek echoed from below, scratching sounds of claws against metal slowly approaching from the crack. The roof was apparently aflame as beams began to fall down, the fire scorching away the vibrant colors and releasing heavy smoke.

"Kagiri, Kairi, it's best if you leave now."

"W-what!? I will do no such thing, I need my servants!" Kagiri responded.

"YOU BOTH NEED TO LEAVE OR THE ONI WILL COME!" Naruto yelled.

Kagiri dashed for the exit when a servant peaked from the doorway. Naruto was about to follow suit with Kushina until he turned around to see Kairi standing in the middle of the throne room.

"Kairi-"

"Heh...heh heh heh..."

Naruto froze at the sounds of a few chuckles before Kairi broke out into full laughter.

"Kairi-"

"The Oni? The ONI? HERE? HA! LEAVE BEFORE SHE COMES? I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE!" Kairi grinned.

There was something off, Naruto could tell (an:/haha no shit). There was a malicious glint in her eyes as Kairi settled down. Her grin was wiped clean off before she glared at him.

"I'm not leaving" she growled, "until you half bloods ARE DEAD!"

Suddenly a large beam fell from the ceiling and crashed in front of the doorway, blocking Kagiri from leaving. She screamed and fell onto her back, scooting away from the wooden beam in front of the exit.

Naruto turned back to Kairi and his eyes narrowed.

"Kairi?"

The roar from below was heard again but this time a lot louder. Kairi's grin returned.

"Ah yes, and about the Oni..."

A large claw clutched the edge of the crack before a large green snout peaked out of the crack. It retreated before it bursted through the crevice, causing another explosion as it forced the floor to widen. The dust settled and Naruto looked on with widened eyes.

"Kairi..."

The large lizard was monstrous. It's jaws were adorned with rows of sharp teeth and it's eyes were piercing gold. It hissed at Naruto who subconsciously took a step back. Kagiri let out a piercing scream and Naruto whipped his head around to see Kagiri sprawled on the floor, scuttling away until her back was pressed to the fallen pillar. Naruto needed to get her to safety.

"Kagiri, hold on and don't move! I'll be right-"

Naruto was suddenly swipped from the side by an enormous green tail that sent him flying through several pillars. He groaned and slowly got up, unsealing his sword. Blood trickled form the gash above his eyes and he tried to wipe away the blood. He breathed heavily as he tried to shift into stance. He spotted Kairi behind the lizard.

He looked back at the lizard and growled. He darted for it, dodging it's claws that crashed down on the floor. He slashed at its side, eliciting a piercing scream that reverberated through the destruction. Kairi screamed as well and made a dash for him.

"K-Kairi! What are you doing! Why?"

Naruto raised his blade to block her but Kairi grabbed the blade with her hands and wrenched it out of his. She chucked the blade to the side and grabbed his throat forcefully before slamming him into the ground. She grinned malevolently at him as her hands crushed into his neck, slowly crushing his windpipe.

"You think that just because you're a jinchuuriki that you're the only demon out there? You're weak...my hatred...my despair..._they're greater than yours_." She growled.

Naruto grabbed her hands in hopes to alleviate the grip but was slowly losing his energy. He slowly took out a kunai and jabbed it into her side. Kairi let out a screech before letting go. He flashed away and took in deep breaths as Kairi clawed at her side violently.

"You're the summoner, aren't you. You're a pure blood of the branch of Uzumaki. You're not actually the small girl survivor that you spared. You're the one who ordered the Oni to kill her."

Kairi breathed heavily before cackling.

"You're wrong, Namikaze-kun...everyone thinks that the Oni and it's 'summoner' are two separate entities..."

"Wha-"

"I AM THE ONI!" She cackled, "How else did I survive all this time? After that stupid bitch chucked me into the dungeons and took the title as princess for her own, I was left here to fend for myself. She took my sword and stashed it away."

Her tone became venomous as she continued.

"She started sending petty sacrifices but what I really wanted was her...that stupid green bitch. And when I learned that there would be tainted blood dorning the throne, I wanted to kill Kagiri. She didn't deserve the power of the Uzumaki. She didn't deserve to sit in that throne. It didn't help her case when it turned out she's in the same league as that parasite..." she spat.

"Doesn't matter now though," she continued, "I'm going to kill that little quarter blooded stain first and then you before I kill off the rest of these parasites living off Uzumaki land. Now, give me my sword..."

Naruto felt a tug in his seal as Kairi drew her hand out towards him and give a flick of her finger. He felt the sword yank free from the seal and fly towards her. It was one of the twin swords he had found. He watched as she brandished her sword and pumped a malicious chakra through it. The blade began to shift to a puce purple color.

He pulled his own sword to a stance and lowered himself before dashing towards her.

_Raiton: Rakurai no akumu!_

A cackle of lightning sparked at his hilt before the blade suddenly encased itself in lightning. He drove the blade through the floor to gain momentum as he charged towards the girl. Naruto let out a yell before slashing upward. Kairi lifted her blade everso slightly, completely deflecting in the strike without batting an eyelash. Naruto was pushed back from the force of the collision.

"You know, you look like him." Kairi whispered. Naruto picked up a hint of loneliness and pain in her voice as she looked at him.

"We were your age. We didn't know better. No...He didn't know better. HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE DID. HE DIDN'T KNOW HE TORE MY HEART TO PIECES." She screamed in agony.

"And look what I have become...a monster, a demon, a nightmare. And there's nothing you can do. You're finished." she hissed.

She jumped back onto the green beast behind her and slowly merged into the body.

"The pain...I can't take it anymore . Have you ever dealt with a broken heart?..." her voice rang in the air as the monster began to hiss. It's skin started to sizzle and grow boils as parts began to boil away and melt off. The mass of muscle began to break down, the liquified mass seeping through the cracks of the broken marble floor. At the center was a mass of thick dark red liquid, contracting and contorting into a humanoid shape.

It took in a deep breath before giving a smirk.

"It's been quite a while since I got in this form. Quite _refreshing_."

Her voice became clearer as the red liquid began to melt off, revealing Kairi. Her hair was still red but there were horns protruding right above her pointed ears. Her skin became a sickly pale shade and her piercing red irises contrasted unnaturally with her yellow scleras. The fangs lining her mouth were accompanied by a forked tongue.

"N-Naruto, that doesn't look good!" Naruto looked to the side to see hologram Kushina trying to get his attention.

"It's okay, Kushina. We'll be fine." Naruto assured her. But he couldn't find any truth in his own words and began to look back at Kairi warily. Kagiri started to scramble behind Naruto.

**Hey, kit.**

_Kurama?_

**You can't be serious. Are you just going to let her insult me? A better demon? I will not stand for such blatant disrespect for the greatest Bijuu in existence.**

Naruto inwardly chuckled.

_So what do you plan to do about it? Wanna help me defeat her?_

**Hmm, I lend you some of my power. Let's show her who is the better demon.**

Naruto frowned but let the red chakra flow through him. He looked at his feet as a circle of red chakra began to form around him. It started to rise but not before he heard someone calling his name. He looked back just in time to see Sakura and the rest of his genins break into the room before the red chakra encased him. His name was called again but it was muffled away as he slowly slipped from consciousness.

When Naruto opened his eyes again, his head was throbbing and he moved to clutch his temple only to be greeted with a heavy red sleeves that covered his hands. He looked around him to see he was adorned in a red hakama and his mask was tilted on his head. He reached to pull the mask down but touched something soft and furry that made him flinch. He grabbed them but yelped in pain.

_Kurama? What did you do?_

**Don't be a sissy, I gave you the power of Inari's prayer.**

_What the hell is that?_

**I'll explain later, right now, you need to eradicate the Oni.**

_Roger that._

Naruto crouched lower, ignoring the feeling of something bushy brushing the back of his legs and his back. He dashed toward Kairi with speeds unparalleled with minimal effort. He pulled out the twin blade and struck Kairi only to be blocked and countered. Naruto dodged the slash easily and pulled another attack. Something snapped him because the next thing he knew, he was letting out a feral roar at Kairi, something carnal and bone chilling.

Sakura and Konohamaru could only watch in fear as they watched their jounin sensei let out a blood curdling roar. Sasuke flinched but turned immediately to Kagiri and made his way to the fallen princess.

"Kagiri-hime, we need to get you out of here before the building collapses."

The girl nodded faintly, slowly getting up but wincing. Sasuke turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, we need some medical attention here. I think her ankle is broken or sprained."

Sakura flinched when her name was called and rushed over, eyes widened and hands trembling. The pinkette ran her chakra enforced hands along Kagiri's legs and nodded to Sasuke.

"Her ankle is broken but I can't properly heal it here. The shards are everywhere and the risk of healing the bone improperly is too great. We need to carry her out of here and give her proper medical treatment."

Sasuke called Konohamaru over but before Konohamaru could take a step forward, a pillar was slammed between them. The two boys looked to its source to see Kairi and Naruto brawling. There were no ninja techniques, just pure animalistic full out fight. The two were clawing and growling, digging their sharp claws in each other's skin, violently grabbing at each other's limbs in attempt to rip it from its socket.

Naruto's head was fuzzy and all he could feel was the blood thirst pumping through his veins and the beckoning call for more, for murder, for carnage, for hate. He was barely aware of his movements, barely aware of where he was. The power was corrupting, maddening, sickening.

_K-Kurama, w-what is going on?_

**It's too much for you. You need to pull back.**

_H-how? What's going on!?_

**The prayer is backfiring. I need to cut your chakra source off for a moment.**

_But she'll kill me!_

**At this rate, you'll both be dead so it doesn't matter.**

_Kurama!_

Naruto snapped his eyes open just in time to see Kairi draw her palm back before smashing into his face. His body slumped and felt like lead as he was sent crashing into several pillars. He couldn't move his fingers as the flow of chakra stopped. His vision blurred and his mouth went dry as Kairi stood over him.

"Looks like your demon doesn't even want to stick around you anymore. He took your chakra! _Pathetic_." she spat.

"Looks like you're still alive, Uzumaki Kairi..."

Kairi's eyes widened as she whipped around to meet the new voice.

"Isn't this what you always wanted? I should've known though. You never aged. Still ugly as ever, Kairi..."

"K-K-"

"Shut up."

Naruto felt a tug on his wrist as the sword from his hands were forcefully wrenched out of reach. He lolled his head to the side sluggishly to see the new challenger. A blur of long red hair passed his vision as he tried to get up slowly. The hologram of his mother was at his side immediately, panicking over him.

"Fishcake! Naruto! Come on!"

Kairi let out a hiss as she raised her sword at the new contender. The latter raised the twin sword and let out a grin.

"This is perfect. Main house versus branch. I never really had anything against the branch but it's rather ironic isn't it? The swords that is."

"Are you going to keep rambling or are we going to go straight to the point." Kairi growled.

"Touchy, touchy. One was meant for the face of leadership while the other was for those who did the dirty work. Though, I cannot fathom you ever doing any work...grabbing the throne right after the destruction of the main branch, you have some nerve..."

"I only did what was best for the real Uzumaki-"

"Shut up. You don't even know what you're talking about. Spouting nonsense like you know how to rule."

"That scum isn't even pure Uzumaki...she's not worth-"

"You're not worth the throne! Your acts of treason, murder, I think I ought to sentence you to death. But I'll give you a fighting chance. No fun in an opponent who's binded by a seal, right?"

Kairi let out a whimper as she stepped back.

"Oh? You remember? Where's yours? On your back?"

The snap of fingers were instantly covered by the sounds of Kairi's piercing screams.

"I used to think the Hyuugas were cruel with their birdcage. But if that's cruel, then I guess the Uzumaki's are downright murderous. I guess we do excel in torture right after seals."

Kairi slumped to the floor, clawing at the searing pain on her back, the seal glowing red behind her shirt.

"Get up."

The pain stopped and Kairi wracked out a sob that turned into a growl. Kairi dashed forward, baring her blade as it instantly clashed with it's twin. Naruto could only hear the clangs of the metal and see the faint sparks in the air when the blades collided. His ears were ringing but he continued to struggle getting up.

The halls echoed another shriek as Kairi stumbled back, clutching her left wrist that now sported a deep gash. Kairi's glare intensified as her head snapped back up.

"KUSHINA!" She bellowed as she dashed forward again with new found vigor.

Kushina only looked back Kairi apathetically, her eyes holding no interest with the girl in front of her. She had the blade of the main branch. She was safe as long as she had the blade. She knew that, Kairi knew that too. Yet, Kairi kept attacking her like it was going to go somewhere, like she was going to crumple at the girl's feet in defeat. Kushina inwardly scoffed as she deflected another strike.

Even with a summon's enhanced strength, the seals on Kushina's blade countered it easily.

"I'm done dancing." Kushina looked on Kairi coldly.

Kairi's eyes widened before another blood curdling scream was let into the air. Her seals began to stretch farther along her body until the black ink etched across her face. Kairi fell to the floor writhing in pain. The seal began to bind her movements and she fell stiff as Kushina stood over her. Kairi looked at her in the corner of her eye, short of breath.

"The-The green haired bitch...you have to- you have to watch out for her...she's trouble...you don't understand-" Kairi huffed between breaths.

"I am full aware of what is trouble, Kairi..."

"K-Kushina-sama...please...you really don't understand" Kairi began to plead as hot tears began to roll down her bloodied cheek.

"Please...you don't- you don't know what they're capable of."

"'They'?"

"She-she mentioned another...a partner...they are going to kill everyone..."

"Who?"

"A-Ak-"

The seal had extended to her lips and her eyes and Kairi's open gaze glazed over as her mouth ceased to move. The seals began to coil tighter and the sound of Kairi's restricted breathing became shallower until there were no more sounds. A few seconds later, the seal receded and Kairi slumped, her gaze never wavering.

Kushina looked away and quickly walked over to Naruto who was still struggling.

"Don't move, Naruto. You've broken a few ribs."

Naruto winced as Kushina slowly propped him up. Her hologram kneeled at the side, gaping at her 'future' self tend to her son.

Kushina seemed to catch someone's stare and looked up at the small redheaded girl. The hologram flinched as Kushina looked back at her. Kushina smiled fondly.

"Hello, Kushina-chan."

"H-Hello...K-Kushina-san..."

A sudden rumble and Kushina flinched as she looked around. Sasuke, Sakura and Konohamaru came running towards them. Kagiri was propped up on Konohamaru's back as the three genin slowed down to a saunter in front of the Uzumaki heiress.

"Kushina-sama, this place is going to collapse on itself. We need to get out!"

"Kaa-san, we need," Naruto winced, "we need to get out now."

Naruto grabbed his arm to stop the bleeding of a deep gash that trailed down from his collarbone to his elbow. Kushina nodded and stood up. Naruto stood straighter but winced as he felt the bruise on his broken ribs. The group nodded and turned for the exit Naruto hobbled behind as the group made a dash, his wounds were beginning to take toll as his chakra system began to restart. His vision blurred again and he clenched his teeth as he continued to trail the group. The ceiling began to collapse, several debris caught aflame as they fell down.

Naruto's gash began to pour and the blood trickled down to his fingertips before a droplet touched the floor. Naruto froze at the sound of several seals appearing and he slowly turned around. Everything was blurred except the ever dominant black ink etched across the broken room. Naruto's eyes widened as scrolls began to pour out of the seals. A call woke him from his trace.

"NARUTO-SENSEI~!"

Naruto's head snapped back to the group calling him at the exit. The downpour of scrolls began to catch up to him like a flooding river as he broke out into a run, ignoring the screaming pain erupting from his body. As he made it past the arch of the exit, he turned before the door closed.

"T_omato_..." he whispered.

The scrolls were closing in but the hologram stood at the doorway smiling and waving.

"It's been fun, Fishcake."

"K-Kushina..." he made a move to step forward but his mother grabbed his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. I'm not real remember?"

Sasuke and Konohamaru began to go through a series of hand seals, slamming their hands on the floor. The wall of stone began to rise and the sound around Naruto became muffled as he focused in on his companion.

He watched the wall blankly only to hear the scrolls slam against the new found wall. The hologram no longer there behind the arch, waving. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

The group made it out of the palace, watching as the roof collapsed in on itself, sending the structure to the ground. The smoke rose above the surrounding cliffs and the once cool air of the gardens were scorching, their lungs filling with the fumes.

They made it to the reinforcements and found Minato ordering medics and troops. Naruto and Kagiri was sent to the medics tent as the genins were sent to help with the aid.

Kushina stood by Naruto's bed.

"She's just past me, ya know. She's not real. She's just a program."

Naruto slowly met his mother's eyes but quickly looked away.

"I just...she felt like a real person and leaving her there felt like I was really sacrificing someone. I know it's stupid because I know she's just a seal but I don't know. I'm just over thinking things at this point."

Kushina ruffled Naruto's hair.

"No biggie. She's returned to the seal and her memories have been transferred back to me."

Naruto smiled and laughed a bit.

"So what happens to all those scrolls I unsealed?"

"Burned away. That room was practically incinerated along with everything in it."

"But the scrolls! They're so valuable! They're priceless!"

"Priceless, yes. But better gone than in the hands of the wrong people. Besides, that wasn't even all of it."

"And Kagiri?"

"She's...she's back in reign."

"But she was in league with the green haired woman!"

"She was threatened. It's fine. Your father has it under control."

"How did you come here so fast? How did you know?"

"The hologram's memories, remember? Speaking of which-"

Kushina whacked Naruto across the top of his head and scowled.

"That's for calling me 'Tomato', you little twerp!"

"S-Sorry!" Naruto wailed as he cradled his head.

* * *

Kushina pulled Minato to the side.

"Did you get them?" Minato lowered his voice.

"Both of them. We're cleared."

"Good. Those are historical relics we'd rather not lose again. Send them over to Kakashi and he'll take care of it."

Kushina nodded and scurried away to Kakashi.

* * *

"So...did it work?" A voice called out from the forest.

"What did what work?" the green haired girl called out.

"The Reunion, you idiot! Did it work?"

The girl frowned, her eyebrows knitted.

"No...only one died. And it was the one we needed."

"And the swords, did you get them?"

"No...The heiress has them."

"Dammit! Akarii!"

"S-sorry...I just-"

"Silence."

Akarii's breath took a sharp intake.

"You won't fail me again."

"Understood."

* * *

An:/ And that's a wrap. Or at least, that's a wrap for the omake! If you want me to make fanart for this omake (like what does Kagiri, Kairi, or the Oni look like, etc) just request it and I'll do it! It's the summer now so I have time to spare.

The last chapter is already up.

I can guarantee you'll have the sequel's first chapter up by this weekend.

Go on to the next chapter!


	43. Chapter 43

The sunlight poured in through the windows of the barely decorated room. At the bedside was the loud alarm clock blaring it's song. The bed sheets began to rustle and a muffled groan was heard from under. Everything went quiet except the incessant chime of the alarm which was brought abruptly to an end by a kunai impaling it violently. The sound died out and the hand slipped back into the bed sheets.

The sheets shifted again and a head poked out. The girl squinted as she hefted herself to an upright position. Her hair stuck out in many places and her eyes screamed annoyance and sleep deprivation. She swung her legs to the side and let her feet touch the cold bare floor. Her toes curled at the touch but she stood up full height and made her way to the bathroom.

"Sakura! Are you awake?"

"Yes! I'll be down in a moment!"

The girl combed through her pink locks and scrambled downstairs to see her mother frying eggs.

"Good morning, Sakura! Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, important day today."

"I heard. What are you going to do from now on?"

"It's all taken care of."

"All right. Take care, Sakura."

"Okay, Kaa-san!"

Sakura wolfed down the plate of eggs in front of her and dashed out the door.

* * *

Konohamaru yawned and lazily scratched his scalp as he slumped into his chair. His uncle sat across from him with the newspaper spreading across the table. His cigarette burned in the ash tray.

"Mornin' Asuma-jiji"

"Oi! I told you to stop calling me that! I'm not that old!"

"With that beard you are. Shave it off and go bald."

"That's not how you talk to your uncle, brat."

"I'll stop talking like that when you shave that abomination off, Asuma-jiji"

"I'll have you know the ladies dig it."

"You mean only Kurenai and something tells me she only barely tolerates it."

"Shut up, kid."

Konohamaru waved it off and shoveled the stale cereal in his mouth before he quickly made it out the door.

* * *

Sasuke glared at the silver haired man in front of him. His eye twitched to use the Mangekyou but he knew his promise. His sensei was seldom wrong about his theories. The aftertaste of tomatoes was still on his tongue but the smell of blood overruled his already faint appetite. He took a glance around to see mangled bodies strewn across the "lab". He looked back at Kabuto and waited impatiently.

He hadn't been there long but he knew that the next few years here were going to be bumpy. Naruto had sent news that he would be leaving Konoha today. Sasuke only faintly smiled when Naruto said he would be dropping by soon. A familiar face was just what he needed in this depressing and endless pit hole.

* * *

Rei slowly walked aside Reno as the two made their way across the park. Reno was slowly getting better and Rei was there every step of the way. They slowly made their way to the northern gates in hopes of catching the last glimpse of their friend and teammate.

* * *

Naruto inhaled the ramen in front of him as Jiraiya looked on annoyed.

"I'm going to go broke if you don't calm that black hole of a stomach."

"Not that it matters considering you practically emptied MY wallet last time. And I was only eight so piss off."

"Che- ungrateful brat."

"Whatever."

Naruto glanced around him, taking in the nostalgic ramen stand. He knew he shouldn't be taking so many training trips. He had a family here in Konoha, a family that could die any moment thanks to their profession. He should stay home more and savor their presence. Had he no family, taking leave for several years wouldn't be so bad, but that wasn't the case. His mother won't stop bawling her eyes out and his father wouldn't stop ruffling his hair.

"Kid, let's go."

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya and nodded. He finished the rest of his ramen before getting out of the stool. He waved to Teuchi and Ayame one last time before exiting the stand. He and Jiraiya walked down the main road towards the gate, Naruto only stopping once or twice to say goodbye to passing villagers.

When Naruto finally made it to the main entrance, he couldn't believe his eyes. His friends, family, and colleagues were all there waiting for him.

"Naruto!" "Naruto-sensei!"

Naruto walked up to them and smiled.

"Yo! Come to say goodbye?"

He said his goodbyes and escaped the bone-crushing hugs of his mother. Sakura gave a tentative hug and a quick kiss on his cheek before stuttering away. Naruto chuckled a little, sporting his own blush before he locked Konohamaru in a headlock one last time. Sasuke wasn't there but Naruto knew he would be seeing the Uchiha later so it didn't matter. He and Jiraiya stopped at the entrance and turned around. Naruto took one last glance at the crowd of people, memorizing their faces and their smiles. One eyed smiles from a jounin, bright colored hair from several of his friends, apathetic yet caring look from a Nara, the crunching sounds from the Akimichi, the barks of a Inuzuka's dog, the silent stare of a Aburame, the bright cheers of a Yamanaka, shy smiles of a Hyuuga.

These people were his special people, his family. A family that he was willing to leave for, to get stronger for, to die for. They are who made him stronger, who give him identity. They are why he will come back and smile back.

"Goodbye, Konoha."

And with that, the last thing Konohagakure no Sato saw of Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya for the next three years.

* * *

An:/I know. That was a terrible ending. "Where the fuck was NaruSaku?" I promise you, there will be a motherload of narusaku in the sequel. What will happen in the sequel? Well we'll find out more about this Sakurai and Akarii pair, more about the Inari's prayer and what it has to do with Naruto, and more about the Akatsuki and Madara. If that doesn't attract you, then I don't know what is suppose to. Your loss really...

**I will post an authors note when the sequel comes out** so don't unfollow this story.

Well, all stories come to an end...though not really since this has a promised sequel.

I never really meant to end The Namikaze Legend at 40+ chapters, but then again, I never really thought it would become so popular either. Which brings me to my next point:

I'd like to thank my entire readership for supporting me and this story through thick and thin (my shitty flame responses and terrible hiatus) It's been a wonderful journey and I bid thee farewell.

I have to say, it's pretty sad for me to say goodbye because I'm not sure if some of you will stick around to read my sequel. If this is the last time you will hear from me, then thank you. Though you will not continue this epic adventure with me, your support for TNL is all that matters. I hold all my readers close to my heart even though I don't know you personally and I feel like I am really friends with all my reviewers who I hold the weirdest conversations with (you know who I'm talking about). I enjoyed your "supert" support and I hope you all continue to support Inari's prayer as well!

Well, until the sequel comes out this weekend, it's time to say goodbye.

Until next time, Fanfiction.

Aerotyl, over and out for the last time on _The Namikaze Legend_.

* * *

Review Responses:

* * *

Fan Fan 92555: Gah! The thing is back! It's back! EVERYONE RUN AWAY! FAN FAN 92555 IS BACK WITH HIS MR GRIMJAW PROMOS. Jesus dude, seriously, I know my story sucks but take your promos and shove them up your ass because the amounts of fuck I'm going to give about your favorite author's work is zero. No offense to Mr Grimjaw but I'm not going to read your work just because some crazy ass nut job tells me to. God and is it really that hard to spell "Story" correctly? It's literally one of the easiest words you can spell. S-T-O-R-Y. All of you flamers lack intelligence and just responding to you somehow reduces my IQ

The Keeper of Worlds: How do my reviewers create such ridiculously creative attacks? Like actually, I would've never come up with that in the entirety of my short life. Hm...Aerotyl pulls out a hiraishin seal and flashes out before the barrage hits her. She narrows her eyes and lashes out with her own version of the Rasenshuriken barrage. Too bad I have an army of...OOMPA LOOMPAS! ATTACK! The mass of orange people emerge from the ground and attack.

Zatheko: I have to say...I am pretty shocked too TT TT and sad

Showtime09: Qualifications will depend on how well a contender writes the paragraph they give me ;)

StreetFighter: Ooh thanky. And I believe you are correct on the tomato girl ;D

Djflemse: Lol okay, close enough XD but yeah, Naruto will definitely have more dates before he's all like "Omg i love you sakura" and yes, flamers are absolutely stupid

Killijimaru: Ouah! Tu parles francais maintenant? Absolument Supert!

.14: Yes, flash means hiraishin, shunshin means...well, shunshin XD

sereneskydragonslayer: Update...check

Duesal10: DON'T BE SAD, THERE'S A SEQUEL COMING OUT SOON!

Noxy the Proxy: Please elaborate on your confusion and perhaps I can help clarify?

Tigress-of-the-Grove: You're rather the exuberant one aren't you XD

Naruto Sakura Uzumaki: Check the "resume" above! I have so many applicants, it's unheard of...

blair27: Prom was interesting...it was on May 10th...crazy stuff that night...

ExoticAngel97: Thank you *bows* if you want to beta, check the "resume" above

Damon Furey: No worries about the reviews! Currently I'm going through a harry potter phase of my own! You are not alone! "Resume" above for beta! (I'm getting so many beta applicants I can't pick! Well good to have you back.

Foxxel: Really now? Cool I guess? One of my friends came out to me like that once. She was just like, "Hey yo, I'm gay." and that was that.

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Long time no see, friend.

Doomslayer10000: Why thank you!

Tsuukiyomi: He doesn't recognize his mother as a child most likely because he never saw his mother as a kid before. Plus, Kushina looks like all the Uzumakis when they are young, puffy faced with blazing red locks of hair.

ArthurB: Sorry Reno made you hate him so much. Good thing you didn't drop the story then, right!?

SuomiTytt: God I hate Sasuke in the series. he's a douchebag hence why I changed him in my story. Sorry for the extremely slow update right when you caught up!

Pink Shipper: Grrrr...

Aerotyl: What...I suck? I suck lollipops? Or do I suck d- just kidding get your mind out of the gutter.

Link: n-N-nuuuu no Ino...but you should read the omake because it's gonna help you kinda understand the sequel better...oh wellz.

Guest: Well, I hope I impressed with the new omake chapter

Foxxel: Your...cow? is good? I don't speak spanish

Guest: Why thank you! Continue reading good lad!

greeee: Yeah...sorry Link-buddy, but greeee here is right...having a threesome...just eh... and not you too with the supert! dammit all

Candysmiley: AND YOU VALIANT READER are awesome. Thank you for the nice review! I do intend on having a flirty naruto in the sequel (except he will fail miserably and will be awkward because he is socal awkward and Sakura will be oblivious)

Hiraishin Style: It's been a while too! thank you for your splendid review, you have me blushing! And its nice to see you've continue to follow my story even under a new name! Sequel is coming out real soon :D

xNINJABLADE45x: Sorry for pissing you off? I guess I have a knack for annoying my readers, sorry... I'm glad you liked the story though!

ixPinkroses: WHATS WITH THE EXPLOSION OF DEAD NEPETA JOKES...*SOBS VIOLENTLY IN A CORNER*

Groomer: Haha thanks man sorry for the misunderstanding

mr grimjaw: HA! I KNEW IT!

Cloud Ex-SOLDIER: love the name by the way. I have complied to your request and made the omake...a bit more Kushina...not much but I will try to include her more in the sequel. unfortunately, this story has ended before narusaku could...er...start. really pathetic on my part really.

MrRavens-narutofan: I'M BACK

Pyr00tje: I've risen from the dead! yep, sorry for the wait

naoman16: It must have taken you a while to write that review out but I'm sad to say, you might have posted it on the wrong story! I do hope you sent it to the right recipient though because it's an incredibly thoughtful review and I'm sure the author that was meant to receive it would appreciate it very much. Go forth noble one, and make that author's day.

t0nyblu: Your wish is my command! I'm glad you like it!

ixPinkRoses: DAMMIT NO

Guest: you have no idea.

Cesse Jao: I know who you are and I know you won't be back to read this but whatever. Why can I relate to your story so well?

Anoni Mos666: Sorry for embarrassing you! But somehow you made me feel bubbly knowing I made someone laugh. Not my proudest moment but as long as someone had a laugh, I'm happy. Keep on reading!

Any reviews for this chapter will be responded personally unless you are a guest in which case I strongly encourage you to get an account so I can respond to you!

bye!

Blimey, I love you all. You are fantastic and awesome.


	44. Chapter 44

Hello my wonderful readership, you sexy beautiful readers.

That's right. I am here to announce the start of the sequel! As you can see I'm not one for beginnings so you'll find that the first chapter sucks balls. Regardless, it's outtttttt, or will be out in a matter of minutes.

* * *

I will start with review responses:

* * *

The Keeper of Worlds: Why thank you. I thought the hologram was quite awesome too XD. Well your sequel awaits!

Showtime09: Thanks! Continue onward!

shadowmaster0304: Sorry for the short and shitty ending. There won't be much of a prologue. Just a beginning like shippuden. I dk about making it M, I'll have to ask my readers.

Duesal10: When I say soon, I mean now :)

Zatheko: God you're making me blush! Thank you for your support and I'm glad I was one of the first authors you read from! It means quite a lot!

avengeme: Ah yes, more secrets revealed about the Uzumakis!

THE 7TH DEMON OF RAZGRIZ: Hello hello!

devilM: NARUSAKU FTW!

blair27: Hot damn. You got it spot on. Anyways, I have received your Beta "Resume" and I am waiting for a pending one from someone who said he/she will get it in. I will respond to you later!

SuomiTytt: Well at least someone likes the ending! Thank you!

Dante siegfield: I strongly suggest you read the omake because it has a lot of introductions to the sequel in it. The whole point of an omake is that it is a story of its own except with key components from the original story. Not particularly a mood spoiler if you ask me but everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Well now that my heart is thoroughly shattered...

sereneskydragonslayer: thank you! and YOU are awesome too!

Killijimaru: I am but I didn't know you spoke french!

Tsuukiyomi: Naruto is/was adorable

TheMysteriousDude: golly jeepers ya'll making me blush

Aerotyl: or should I say fanfan. I'm not as dumb as you. God. It's like picking out neon yellow from a crowd of grey. Go fuck yourself or something, it will be more productive in your case

claymore78: Most unfortunate that you want me to do a harem because I don't really believe in that stuff. I hope you keep reading though.

fanfan9255: How are you even following this story? Hell, why would be more appropriate. If you don't like it, don't stick around. It's like masochism at its best. You don't like reading it but you keep reading it anyways. Do you enjoy doing that to yourself? Somehow I know you're somewhat smarter than that but you continue to pull this shit anyways. As fun as it is to troll, the joke grows old like a pair of smelly socks. You being the smell socks. It's just disgusting, over used, and ready to be thrown into the trash. And the joke is old...old like your mother who obviously didn't teach you any better. I think she and I should arrange a intervention for you or something. "Fan fan...you have to understand...this isn't healthy for you. You're causing detrimental damage to your health." Not that I actually care about your health, but I'm above wishing people's death. But I'd still like to mention you're wasting precious oxygen. Precious oxygen that should be preserved for future generations and not wasted on some idiot that reversed evolution and devolved into a monkey. What ever you do, don't reproduce. I'd hate to go monkey hunting to save humanity.

Guest: I don't know the purpose of you pasting an excerpt from my story. Is it an edit? Please state your intentions. But do not copy paste my story somewhere and claim it for your own.

Shadowstar92: Aww thank you! And yes! Moegi and Udon I believe? Yes minions indeed XD

Doomslayer10000: YESSS more for my kudos jar!

Djflemse: oh stop it you!

DarkinocensDLT: Matta ne?

Cloud Ex-SOLDIER: Some sort of saying about distance making love grow stronger? Well NaruSaku sorta in the first chapter of the sequel...muahahahaha hopefully that's not too long...

: ITS UP ITS UP ITS UP *THROWS CONFETTI EVERYWHERE* AW YISSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Wissing: Well, by the time you get here, you'll be ready for the sequel! Hope you read fast enough!

* * *

NOW ONWARD TO THE SEQUEL: ON MY PROFILE LISTED AS INARI'S PRAYER


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